Pompeo kicks off ‘farewell tour’ in Paris
Paris, Nov 16 (efe-epa).- The United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, visited Paris on Monday on the first stop of an international tour taking place amid the White House’s refusal to accept the results of the November 3 US presidential elections, which Democrat Joe Biden won.
Pompeo’s trip, which will see him make stops in France, Turkey and Israel, is being widely seen as a farewell tour by observers in Europe and the Middle East, despite Donald Trump’s rejection of the poll and his refusal to formally concede the race to his rival.
Lawyers representing the president and the Republican Party have filed several lawsuits in various battleground states contesting the results of the elections, although some of those have already been thrown out by judges.
The White House has failed to produce any evidence to back their allegations that the election was rigged.
France, Turkey and Israel have already recognized Biden as the president-elect, but Pompeo is expected to insist, as he did last week, that the Trump administration is preparing for a second term.
“There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration,” Pompeo said last Tuesday in response to a question from US media.
French President Emmanuel Macron – who has endured a frosty relationship with Trump – was one of the first international leaders to congratulate Biden on his victory on November 3, and the photo and video images of his call were widely distributed by the Elysée Palace, which is unusual in such cases.
No information or images of his meeting with Pompeo, however, have been released. This is a “courtesy” visit, only the French Presidency has said.
Pompeo arrived at the weekend in the French capital and on Sunday held a private meeting with directors of the Institut Montaigne think tank, with whom he discussed key issues on the international agenda, including terrorism and the global response to the pandemic.
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