US Secretary of State given France's highest honour
At a ceremony in Paris on Saturday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also said the top US diplomat was a "tireless champion of peace".
US Secretary of State John Kerry smiles after being awarded the Grand Officier de la Legion d'Honneur (Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor) medal, at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris, on December 10, 2016
Recommended articles
![Iranian morality police crack down on women who don't wear headscarves [The Guardian]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'100'%20height%3D'100'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "Iranian morality police crack down on women who don't wear headscarves [The Guardian]")
At a ceremony in Paris on Saturday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also said the top US diplomat was a "tireless champion of peace".
"Francophone, Francophile, you are certainly the most French of American officials" Ayrault said.
Kerry's French heritage and fondness for the country saw him attacked on the presidential campaign trail in 2004, when he was the Democratic candidate running against Republican George W Bush.
ADVERTISEMENT
Tensions were running high between Paris and Washington over the Iraq war, to the extent that America's beloved junk food, French Fries, were briefly renamed Freedom Fries, Ayrault said.
Kerry's mother and aunt were born in Paris in the early 1920s and America's top diplomat spent holidays as a young man at the family residence in Saint-Brignac-sur-Mer, in Brittany.
Ayrault paid tribute to the "sincerity" of Kerry's political and diplomatic engagement, citing his contributions as secretary of state to the historic 2015 climate change agreement, the Iran nuclear deal and the struggle to bring the war in Syria to an end.
"You are a tireless champion of peace," he added.
A visibly moved Kerry said France was America's "oldest ally".
ADVERTISEMENT
"Long live French fries! Long live France! Long live the USA!" Kerry said in French.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng
Recommended articles
No need to run when EFCC invites you, Cubana Chief Priest advises Nigerians
Immigration places wanted Yahaya Bello on watchlist, unveils his passport details
Oyo govt justifies demolition of Yoruba Nation agitators’ building
NAFDAC raids popular supermarket in Abuja for selling counterfeit products
Iranian morality police crack down on women who don't wear headscarves
FG sets up committee to compensate landowners affected by Lagos-Calabar road project
Kano Gov remains a bona fide member of our party - NNPP debunks suspension
We need ₦3.2trn to pay electricity subsidy in 2024 - FG
Tinubu's proactive approach to security threats yielding results, Ribadu claims
Pulse Sports
Lionel Messi's son breaks the internet after scoring five goals for Inter Miami
Naija Stars Abroad: Onyedika, Boniface, and Osimhen shine across Europe
Victor Osimhen and Tobi Amusan make list of Forbes’ 30 under 30 Class of 2024
ADVERTISEMENT
![The woman was recorded, among others, while bathing [BI]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'300'%20height%3D'172'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "The woman was recorded, among others, while bathing [BI]")