The French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced the immediate recall “for consultations” of the French ambassadors to Australia and the USA, at the request of the president Emmanuel Macron. At the origin is the diplomatic crisis linked to the cancellation of a large contract by Australia, which had undertaken to buy French conventional submarines and eventually chose American nuclear ones, as part of a historic agreement on safety in the country. Indo-Pacific, the so-called Aukus.
The French wrath over the loss of the submarine contract. The shadow of a crisis with Washington as in the days of the war in Iraq
by our correspondent Anais Ginori
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“This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional gravity of the announcements made on September 15 by Australia and the US,” said Le Drian, who called the cancellation of the $ 100 billion contract by Canberra “unacceptable behavior”: “It is It was a stab in the back. We have built a relationship of trust with Australia and that trust has been betrayed. It is not possible between allies, “he said the day before, comparing the move by Joe Biden to the “America First” doctrine of Donald Trump.
What is China doing in the seas where the new Australian submarines will sail
by our correspondent Gianluca Modolo
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There are signs of relaxation from the United States: “We have been in close contact with our French partners on their decision to call the ambassador back to Paris for consultations. We understand their position and will continue to work in the coming days to resolve our differences, such as we have done on other points in the course of our long alliance, “explains an executive of the US National Security Council. He adds: “France is our oldest ally and one of our strongest partners and we share a long history of common democratic values and a commitment to work together to address global challenges.”
The United States “hopes” to resolve its dispute with France over the submarine crisis “next week” atHim-her-it, as an American diplomatic spokesman explained. “We have been in close contact with our French allies” and “we hope to continue our discussion on this issue at a high level in the coming days, including at the UN General Assembly next week” in New York, he said. Ned Price in a tweet. He added that he “understands their position”, and noted the unprecedented decision to recall the French ambassador to Paris “for consultations”.
The story also has repercussions in Canada, where the prime minister Justin trudeau has come under fire from his security rivals (Aukus) between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia in an anti-China function, despite sharing with these countries (and New Zealand) an intelligence-sharing agreement (Five Eyes) . Both the Conservative and New Democratic Party leaders have impeached the Canadian premier by suggesting that the exclusion reflects a broader failure of the Liberal government to negotiate with key allies and take a firm stand against Beijing. “This is another example that Trudeau is not taken seriously by our friends and allies around the world,” said conservative leader Erin O’Toole, arguing that “Canada is becoming more irrelevant under him.” Democratic leader Jagmeet Singh echoed that Trudeau has become too distracted from the election campaign to fully engage with his allies.
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