Pompeo begins a tour to 7 nations

PARIS — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed “global challenges” with a handful of members of a Paris think tank Saturday at the start of a sevencountry tour of Europe and the Middle East, travels that were certain to be awkward since all the nations on his schedule have congratulated President-elect Joe Biden for winning the White House.

Pompeowas an all but invisible U.S. envoy on what may be his last official trip to France, tweeting out news of his arrival and from his private meeting with members of the Institut Montaigne, with photos.

The trip is aimed at shoring up the priorities of the outgoing administration of President Donald Trump. It will include visits to Israeli settlements in the West Bank that have been avoided by previous secretaries of state.

The United States’ top diplomat — as well as its president and much of his Republican Party — have not accepted the results of the American election, and the unusual circumstances will likely overshadow the issues.

In his latest tweet, Pompeo said he addressed “the global challengeswe are facing today, from terrorismto the COVID-19 pandemic” with InstitutMontaigne representatives. The independent think tank says it promotes “a balanced vision of society, in which open and competitive markets go hand in hand with equality of opportunity and social cohesion.”

Pompeomay find himself doing heavy-lifting on Monday, when he is scheduled to meet French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and President Emmanuel Macron. According to Macron’s office, the French president spoke with Biden by phone four days ago and conveyed his desire to work together in areas such as climate change, terrorismand health.

For the outgoing secretary of state and the French officials, Monday’s meetings will be a delicate demarche on tough issues.

“For the moment, my counterpart is Mike Pompeo, until Jan. 20.,” LeDrian said Friday on French network BFMTV, referring to the date when Trump’s term ends. “He’s coming to Paris. I receive him.”

Le Drian noted the “difficult subjects” on the table, from the situation in Iraq and Iran to the Middle East and China.

He said he plans to speak out onany acceleratedwithdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, clearly concerned that Trump could end his presidency with such a move.

“What he should not do, in our opinion,” Le Drian said of a full withdrawal from Afghanistan. “What should not be done either in Iraq, (we) will tell him.”

Promoting religious freedom and countering terrorism were also among topics on the table during his trip, he tweeted. Both issues are keenly relevant to France. There have been three terror attacks in recent weeks in France that have killed four people, linked to recently republished caricatures of the prophet of Islam. Anti-France protests rolled through some Muslim countries after Macron insisted on his nation’s respect for freedom of expression, including the right to draw caricatures.

After France, Pompeo’s tour takes him to Turkey, Georgia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The leaders of all of those countries have offered public congratulations to Biden.