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Emmanuel Macron joined Donald Trump to throw handfuls of soil on the roots of a young oak tree.
(AFP)Washington, United States: The photograph was seen around the world: US President Donald Trump and France's Emmanuel Macron, gilded spades in hand, shovelling dirt over a young sapling.A week ago, at the beginning of Macron's visit to Washington, the French president joined his American counterpart to throw handfuls of soil on the roots of a young oak tree as the their respective first ladies looked on.It was a symbolic gesture: the tree came from a northern French forest where 2,000 US Marines died during the First World War.But a few days later, the plant was nowhere to be seen. A yellow spot is seen where the tree was planted on April 23 in the White House.
(Reuters)Amid fervent speculation, France on Sunday came through with an explanation: the tree, now not just a plant but a symbol of US-French relations, had been placed in quarantine."It is a quarantine which is mandatory for any living organism imported into the US," Gerard Araud, French ambassador to America, wrote on Twitter."It will be replanted afterwards."When a follower fired back that the caution seemed a bit late -- given that the tree had already been planted -- the diplomat went on to confirm that the roots had been enclosed in plastic.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
