French envoy urges U.S. to stay in UNESCO

Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-13 03:13:15|Editor: yan
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UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- French ambassador to the United Nations Francois Delattre on Thursday asked the United States not to leave the Paris-based UN cultural body, UNESCO.

"UNESCO is about promoting our ideals and values through culture, education and science. These values and ideals are very much part of France's DNA, but also (part of) America's DNA," Delattre, who is president of the UN Security Council for the month, told reporters.

"That is why it is so important to have our American friends on board -- now more than ever -- as these values are contested and as we need an America that stays committed to world affairs."

The Trump administration announced earlier Thursday that it would pull out of UNESCO, after years of America distancing itself because of what it called the organization's "anti-Israel bias." Israel later announced it would withdraw as well.

U.S. officials have also threatened to pull out of the Geneva-headquartered UN Human Right Council for the same reason.

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