BREAKING NEWS: France RECALLS its ambassador to the US amid row over new US-UK-Australia pact
BREAKING NEWS: France RECALLS its ambassador to the US amid row over new US-UK-Australia pact citing ‘unacceptable behavior’ over nixed submarine contract
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In a stunning break with the United States’ oldest ally, France has recalled its ambassador to the US after a blowup over a new pact between the US, Great Britain, and Australia.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves LeDrain announced the move to recall ambassador Philippe Etienne Friday night, saying it came in a request from French President Francois Macron.
He cited the ‘exceptional seriousness of the announcements’ – which caught France off guard and resulted in the cancelation of multi-billion dollar contracts for Australia to build and purchase French diesel submarines for its defense.
ATHENS, GREECE – SEPTEMBER 17: French President Emmanuel Macron delivering a statement during the EUMed9 Summit at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center on September 17, 2021 in Athens, Greece. The group represents an alliance of southern European Union countries: Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. (Photo by Milos Bicanski/Getty Images)
He called the nixing of the $90 billion sub contract ‘unacceptable behavior.’
The move, reported by the Associated Press, comes amid a huge backlash in France over the move.
The U.S. during regular diplomatic events with French diplomats points to France’s essential support for the U.S. during the American Revolution, and numerous US presidents have taken part in annual commemorations of the Normandy invasion that attest to the close historical bonds between the two nations.
The stunning diplomatic slap comes a day after France made a lesser statement by nixing a planned gala at its luxurious embassy in Washington that was meant to celebrate the U.S.-French relationship, while also ditching another event in Baltimore.
The embassy gala was to mark the 240th anniversary of the Battle of the Capes, when the French Navy fought the Royal Navy of Britain during the Revolutionary War.
It all came at the end of a week where President Joe Biden announced a new agreement between the US, the UK, and Australia, in a move meant to counter China and bolster security in the Indo-Pacific region.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (l) described President Biden’s deal as a ‘unilateral, brutal, unpredictable decision’ amid French fury that it triggered cancelation of an Australian agreement to buy French diesel powered submarines
America and the UK are to help Australia build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines as part of an unprecedented alliance known as the AUKUS pact to combat China’s naval dominance and will likely be the similar design as this Astute class submarine HMS Ambush (pictured)
The French embassy event was supposed to commemorate the 1781 ‘Battle of the Capes when the French Navy delivered a decisive blow to Britain’s Royal Navy in the Revolutionary War. The Battle of Virgina Capes shows British forces on the right and French on the left
Under the terms, Australia for the first time would purchase US-made nuclear submarines, which are quieter, faster, and must come to port less frequently than diesel or electric boats.
The move infuriated France, which said it had not been informed long in advance.
Biden, who ran in part trumpeting his deft touch in diplomacy after helming the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, now finds himself at the center a diplomatic row with a key ally.
It comes at a time when his handling of the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan is also under scrutiny.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said France had been informed in advance of the move, and tried to put the best light on the state of relations.
‘France in particular is a vital partner on this, and so many other issues,’ he said.
The diplomatic slap came just minutes after the US military had to admit that a US drone strike in the final days before the US pullout in Afghanistan had mistakenly hit an aid worker, killing nine family members, including seven children.
Australia had been relying on French shipbuilder Naval Group to construct its disel submarine fleet, set to be delivered in the mid 2030s.
The move also piqued the government New Zealand, which has a longstanding opposition to nuclear energy, and which was not included in the agreement.
