Secretary of State Pompeo continues talks in France
US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo will continue talks with President Emmanuel Macron today in France.
Pompeo and Macron are expected to discuss economic and security matters along with counterterrorism and global threats, including multiple recent terror attacks in French cities. Macron’s October announcement of a law targeting “Islamist separatism” has also heightened religious tensions in France and provoked subsequent protests in many majority-Muslim countries around the globe.
The meeting between the two is expected to be contentious. Macron has already called US President-elect Joe Biden to congratulate him on his electoral victory, but outgoing President Donald Trump has yet to concede the election and Pompeo has publicly referred to a ‘smooth transition’ to a second Trump term. This could lead to some tension in talks. France will be more likely to see eye-to-eye with the incoming Biden administration than with officials like Pompeo, particularly on how to address matters such as climate change and Iran.
It is likely that both nations will emphasise a commitment to continue cooperating on counterterrorism efforts. Nevertheless, as France and the rest of the world await a new US administration, Pompeo and Macron are unlikely to make other substantive promises.
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