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France accuses Australia, US of 'lying' in escalating crisis
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday recalled the ambassadors to Canberra and Washington in an unprecedented move to signal his fury over Australia's decision to break a deal for the French submarines in favour of American nuclear-powered vessels.
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French President Emmanuel Macron (2nd left) and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (center) stand on the deck of HMAS Waller, a Collins-class submarine operated by the Royal Australian Navy, at Garden Island in Sydney on May 2, 2018. Macron arrived in Australia on May 1 on a rare visit by a French president with the two sides expected to agree on greater cooperation in the Pacific to counter a rising China. (AFP/Brendan Esposito)
F
rance on Saturday accused Australia and the United States of lying over a ruptured Australian contract to buy French submarines, saying a grave crisis was under way between the allies.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday recalled the ambassadors to Canberra and Washington in an unprecedented move to signal his fury over Australia's decision to break a deal for the French submarines in favour of American nuclear-powered vessels.
The row has, for now, ended hopes of a post-Donald Trump renaissance in relations between Paris and Washington under President Joe Biden and also focused French attention on boosting the European Union's security strategy as it ponders NATO's future.
Speaking to France 2 television, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian gave no indication Paris was prepared to let the crisis die down, using distinctly undiplomatic language towards Australia, the United States and Britain, which is also part of the three-way security pact.
"There has been lying, duplicity, a major breach of trust and contempt," Le Drian said. "This will not do."
He described the withdrawal of the ambassadors for the first time in the history of relations with the countries as a "very symbolic" act that aimed "to show how unhappy we are and that there is a serious crisis between us".
On Sunday, Australian Finance Minister Simon Birmingham again insisted his country had informed the French government "at the earliest available opportunity, before it became public".
