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| Laurent Fabius, French Foreign Minister, Steps Down | Laurent Fabius, French Foreign Minister, Steps Down |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| PARIS — Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius of France said on Wednesday that he was leaving his post after nearly four years, a widely expected departure and a prelude to a coming cabinet reshuffle. | PARIS — Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius of France said on Wednesday that he was leaving his post after nearly four years, a widely expected departure and a prelude to a coming cabinet reshuffle. |
| Mr. Fabius accompanied the announcement of his departure with thinly veiled criticisms of United States policy — or lack thereof — on Syria. In 2013, France was ready to join an air campaign against President Bashar al-Assad after evidence showed that it had used chemical weapons in rebel-held areas. But the British Parliament rejected participation in such an operation, and President Obama punted the issue to Congress. | Mr. Fabius accompanied the announcement of his departure with thinly veiled criticisms of United States policy — or lack thereof — on Syria. In 2013, France was ready to join an air campaign against President Bashar al-Assad after evidence showed that it had used chemical weapons in rebel-held areas. But the British Parliament rejected participation in such an operation, and President Obama punted the issue to Congress. |
| Ultimately, it fell to Russia to pressure Mr. Assad to hand over the chemical weapons. | Ultimately, it fell to Russia to pressure Mr. Assad to hand over the chemical weapons. |
| “The regret is that the world did not follow France’s position,” Mr. Fabius said. | “The regret is that the world did not follow France’s position,” Mr. Fabius said. |
| “When you see the horrifying brutalities of Bashar al-Assad, what is happening with Daesh,” he added, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State, “the complicity — because there is no other word — of the Russians and the Iranians in all of this, and then the feebleness of a certain number of members of the coalition — it is obviously a very, very serious situation.” | “When you see the horrifying brutalities of Bashar al-Assad, what is happening with Daesh,” he added, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State, “the complicity — because there is no other word — of the Russians and the Iranians in all of this, and then the feebleness of a certain number of members of the coalition — it is obviously a very, very serious situation.” |
| Mr. Fabius, 69, a government veteran and a former prime minister — France’s youngest, in the mid-1980s — revealed his departure in an offhanded way as he left a cabinet meeting at the Élysée Palace here, telling colleagues the meeting would be his last. | Mr. Fabius, 69, a government veteran and a former prime minister — France’s youngest, in the mid-1980s — revealed his departure in an offhanded way as he left a cabinet meeting at the Élysée Palace here, telling colleagues the meeting would be his last. |
| As foreign minister since May 2012, Mr. Fabius has presided over some major foreign policy challenges at a time when his country has arguably become the United States’ principal military ally in the fight against Islamic extremism. | As foreign minister since May 2012, Mr. Fabius has presided over some major foreign policy challenges at a time when his country has arguably become the United States’ principal military ally in the fight against Islamic extremism. |
| He helped push through the nuclear accord with Iran, notably holding out for tough conditions against the Iranians. And he presided over the Paris climate change conference last year, making it a personal mission to negotiate an accord on global warming among fractious and disputing nations. | He helped push through the nuclear accord with Iran, notably holding out for tough conditions against the Iranians. And he presided over the Paris climate change conference last year, making it a personal mission to negotiate an accord on global warming among fractious and disputing nations. |
| France’s activist foreign policy under his watch has also included several military interventions, notably in Africa — in Mali to combat Islamic extremists and in the Central African Republic to quell violent unrest after the country’s longtime leader was toppled. | France’s activist foreign policy under his watch has also included several military interventions, notably in Africa — in Mali to combat Islamic extremists and in the Central African Republic to quell violent unrest after the country’s longtime leader was toppled. |
| Asked on Wednesday whether he was disappointed by the American record on Syria, Mr. Fabius said: “Let’s say that there were moments where we should have acted. But that is just a part of international politics. It isn’t because France takes the right position that everybody aligns with her. Sometimes it is disappointing, but that is the way it is.” | Asked on Wednesday whether he was disappointed by the American record on Syria, Mr. Fabius said: “Let’s say that there were moments where we should have acted. But that is just a part of international politics. It isn’t because France takes the right position that everybody aligns with her. Sometimes it is disappointing, but that is the way it is.” |
| Atrocities against civilians by the Syrian government appeared to be a preoccupation for Mr. Fabius, and some politicians in the French opposition criticized him for refusing to negotiate with the embattled Syrian leader. | Atrocities against civilians by the Syrian government appeared to be a preoccupation for Mr. Fabius, and some politicians in the French opposition criticized him for refusing to negotiate with the embattled Syrian leader. |
| Mr. Fabius made it clear that his views of the conflict there had only hardened. “The United Nations has just published a report that says that he killed thousands of people in his prisons,” he said. “What didn’t work was the international community. But it is obvious that he is a dictator, and he will remain a dictator.” | Mr. Fabius made it clear that his views of the conflict there had only hardened. “The United Nations has just published a report that says that he killed thousands of people in his prisons,” he said. “What didn’t work was the international community. But it is obvious that he is a dictator, and he will remain a dictator.” |
| President François Hollande said on Wednesday that he would nominate Mr. Fabius to lead the Constitutional Council, the highest constitutional court in the country. | President François Hollande said on Wednesday that he would nominate Mr. Fabius to lead the Constitutional Council, the highest constitutional court in the country. |
| Another cabinet minister, Christiane Taubira, in charge of the Justice Ministry, recently stepped down. Mr. Hollande now needs to replace Mr. Fabius, and he is expected to make other changes to his cabinet soon. |