Biden steps in to douse fire over new deal
US President to hold talks with French President Macron, who is upset over the Aukus alliance fallout
PARIS: US President Joe Biden has requested talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, France said on Sunday, in an apparent effort to mend fences after a major row over a submarines contract sparked rare tensions between the two nations.
The announcement came after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison rejected French accusations that Canberra had lied about plans to cancel the contract to buy French submarines, insisting he had raised concerns over the new deal “some months ago”.
Australia’s decision to tear up the French deal in favour of US’ nuclear-powered vessels sparked outrage in Paris, with Macron recalling France’s ambassadors to Canberra and Washington in an unprecedented move.
Macron expected to seek ‘clarification’
But French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Sunday that there would be a telephone conversation between Biden and Macron “in the coming days” on the request of the US president.
Macron will ask Biden for “clarification” after the announcement of a US-Australian-UK defence pact that prompted Canberra’s cancellation
of a contract for diesel-electric French vessels. “We want explanations,” Attal said. The US had to answer for “what looks a lot like a major breach of trust”.
Morrison insisted he had made no secret of their issues with the French vessels. “I think they would have had every reason to know that we had deep and grave concerns,” he told reporters in Sydney. “We made very clear that we would be making a decision based on our strategic national interest.”
‘There has been lying and duplicity’
French foreign minister JeanYves Le Drian had on Saturday used distinctly undiplomatic language towards Australia, the US and Britain which is also part of a new three-way security pact announced on Wednesday that led to the rupture.
“There has been lying, duplicity, a major breach of trust and contempt,” Le Drian told France 2 television.
The recall of the ambassadors for the first time in the history of relations with the countries was “to show how unhappy we are and that there is a serious crisis between us”.
The French contract to supply conventional submarines to Australia was worth AUS$50 billion (US$36.5 billion) when signed in 2016.
Morrison said he understood France’s disappointment, but added, “I don’t regret the decision to put Australia’s national interest first. Never will.”
Defence minister Peter Dutton also insisted that Canberra had been “upfront, open and honest” with Paris about its concerns over the deal - a claim quickly rejected by French defence minister Florence Parly.
‘We weren’t informed’
“His statement is inaccurate,” she said during a visit to Niger. “We were never informed of Australia’s intentions”.
Australian finance minister Simon Birmingham said the aim was now to ensure “that we re-establish those strong ties with the French government and counterparts long into the future”.
Le Drian also issued a stinging response to a question over why France had not also recalled its ambassador to Britain over the security pact, known as Aukus.
“With Britain, there is no need. We know their constant opportunism. So there is no need to bring our ambassador back to explain,” he said.