VP Harris works to mend ties with France after sub spat

Associated Press

PARIS — Kamala Harris and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed Wednesday that their countries are acceptable to enactment unneurotic again, aft a diplomatic play surrounding a submarine woody that enactment the narration astatine a historical low.

The U.S. vice president met with Macron connected Wednesday evening astatine the Elysee statesmanlike palace, arsenic portion of a weeks-long effort by Washington to mend relations with France, America’s oldest ally.

Harris’ four-day travel to Paris comes aft President Joe Biden told Macron the U.S. had been “clumsy” successful handling the submarine issue, during a gathering successful Rome, Italy connected Oct. 29. Biden didn’t formally apologize to Macron, but conceded the U.S. should not person caught its oldest state by surprise. The secretly negotiated U.S.-British submarine woody with Australia led to a anterior woody with France being scrapped.

Macron Wednesday said helium had had “a precise fruitful meeting” with Biden. “We bash stock the presumption that we are astatine the opening of a caller epoch and our practice is perfectly captious for this one,” helium said.

Echoing the French president’s comments, Harris said: “I deliberation we stock this content that we are astatine the opening of a caller era, which presents america with galore challenges, but besides galore opportunities.”

“Building connected the large speech that you and President Biden had, I look guardant to the adjacent fewer days. We’ll enactment unneurotic and renew the absorption that we’ve ever had connected a partnership,” she added.

She said that they were to sermon the COVID-19 pandemic, practice connected abstraction and clime change, amid different topics.

Earlier Wednesday, Harris paid her respects to Americans who died successful the 2 satellite wars and are buried successful a cemetery overlooking the Paris skyline. To the notes of Taps, Harris laid a wreath successful their grant and met with U.S. subject work members astatine the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial.

Among the much than 1,500 graves was that of Inez Crittenden, a World War I switchboard relation from Harris’ hometown of Oakland. Noting that was “one of the fewer jobs women could have” astatine the time, Harris said, “We’re precise arrogant of her representation and her service.”

Crittenden died connected Armistice Day — Nov. 11, 1918 — from pneumonia, apt caused by the flu pandemic of the era. Harris volition be Armistice Day commemorations successful France connected Thursday.