VP Harris heads to Paris to work on US-France relationship

WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris is pitching successful connected the White House charm violative aimed astatine French President Emmanuel Macron.

The vice president arrives successful Paris connected Tuesday for a four-day visit, the latest determination successful a concerted effort by the Biden medication to enactment up the U.S. narration with America’s oldest ally. Washington's relations with Paris deed a historical debased this twelvemonth aft a U.S.-British submarine woody with Australia scuttled a French woody with the Australians.

Harris volition beryllium down with Macron connected Wednesday astatine the Élysée Palace for talks that are expected to absorption connected ways the 2 nations tin amended coordinate efforts successful the Indo-Pacific and different issues impacting the relationship.

The high-level gathering comes little than 2 weeks aft President Joe Biden met Macron connected the margins of the Group of 20 acme successful Rome and acknowledged that his medication had handled the submarine woody successful a “clumsy” way.

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The U.S. and Britain's statement to supply Australia with submarine exertion has been framed arsenic accidental for the U.S. to bolster a cardinal Pacific ally’s naval capableness arsenic the Biden medication has go progressively acrophobic astir China’s subject aggressiveness successful the region.

But France was livid, saying it was kept successful the acheronian astir the woody and its interests were ignored contempt having territories successful the Indo-Pacific with 2 cardinal radical and 7,000 troops.

The French besides complained that the occurrence undercut Biden’s connection that helium would stabilize and fortify the trans-Atlantic confederation aft 4 years of President Donald Trump’s “America first” attack to overseas policy.

France adjacent concisely withdrew its ambassador from the U.S. successful protest, the archetypal clip it had done truthful successful immoderate 250 years of diplomatic relations betwixt the nations.

“The confederation betwixt the United States and France is America’s oldest, and among our strongest,” Harris said successful connection astir her trip. “I look guardant to discussing with President Macron our enactment unneurotic connected the astir urgent challenges of our clip — including the clime crisis, the planetary wellness crisis, and determination information concerns.”

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Harris said she and Macron would besides sermon caller opportunities for collaboration successful the country of space. On Tuesday, Harris is to circuit the renowned Institut Pasteur. Harris’ mother, who was a scientist, collaborated with the institute's scientists connected bosom crab probe successful the 1980s.

Harris volition present a code connected Thursday astatine the yearly Paris Peace Forum and enactment the pursuing time successful the Paris Conference connected Libya. She volition beryllium joined by her husband, Douglas Emhoff, for the visit.

The vice president is looking to prime up wherever Biden near disconnected successful Rome successful efforts to marque wide that that helium sees the narration with France arsenic captious to the U.S.

To that end, she and Emhoff volition sojourn Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial conscionable extracurricular Paris. The 7.5-acre (3 hectare) cemetery contains the remains of 1,559 Americans who died successful World War I and 23 chartless dormant of World War II.

Harris volition besides enactment successful a ceremonial to people Armistice Day, the French commemoration of the extremity of World War I. Thursday is besides Veterans Day successful the United States.

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