Messages from Macron to Morrison leaked amid submarine deal row
Send a link to a friend
[November 02, 2021]
By Colin Packham
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian media on
Tuesday published messages between French President Emmanuel Macron and
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, as Canberra seeks to push back
against allegations it lied to Paris about a multibillion-dollar
submarine contract.
Australia in September cancelled a deal with France's Naval Group,
opting instead to build at least 12 nuclear-powered submarines after
striking a deal with the United States and Britain.
The cancellation caused a major bilateral rift, and Macron on Sunday
said Morrison had lied to him about Australia's intentions, a
unprecedented allegation among allies. Morrison has denied the claim.
According to a source familiar with the messages, when Morrison tried to
set up a call with Macron about the submarine contract on Sept. 14, two
days before the deal with the U.S. and Britain was announced, Macron
responded with a message saying "Should I expect good or bad news for
our joint submarines ambitions?" The message with Morrison's response
was not leaked.
The source declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the
matter.
France has said Australia did not attempt to inform it of the
cancellation until the day Canberra announced its deal with the United
States and Britain.
[to top of second column]
|
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Australian Prime Minister
Scott Morrison in front of the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, June
15, 2021. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol
"There is no doubt Morrison needed to put his front
foot forward and convince Australians and allies that he wasn't
being duplicitous and lying, but there was grave concern that the
project would not be completed," said Haydon Manning, a political
science professor at Flinders University in South Australia.
This month, the European Union postponed the next round of talks on
a potential free trade deal for a second time, amid simmering anger
over Canberra's decision to cancel the contract with France.
(Reporting by Colin Packham. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |