Macron: “I know” that the Australian Prime Minister “lied” in the submarine affair

INA-  sources


French President Emmanuel Macron has said he “knows” that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison lied to him about secret negotiations over the submarine deal.
 
On the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Rome, an Australian journalist asked Macron, “Do you think Scott Morrison lied to you?”, to which the French president replied, “I don’t think. I know that.”
 
 
“We are talking, we will see what he will do,” Macron added. “I have a lot of respect for your country and a lot of respect and friendship for your people, but when we have respect it must be from both sides, and the way to act in accordance with these values.”
 
Paris had expressed its anger after Australia’s sudden decision to terminate a contract with France without prior warning to buy 12 French submarines with conventional payment, worth 90 billion Australian dollars (55 billion euros).
 
 
 
On Thursday, Macron had a telephone conversation with Morrison, the first since the crisis that erupted in mid-September, following the announcement of the new partnership between the United States, Britain and Australia, according to the Elysee Palace.
 
The Elysee confirmed that the French head of state indicated that “it is now up to the Australian government to propose practical steps that embody the desire of the highest Australian authorities to redefine the foundations of our bilateral relationship and to continue joint action in the Indo-Pacific region.”
 
During the phone call, Macron noted that “Australia’s unilateral decision to reduce the Franco-Australian strategic partnership by ending the ocean-class submarine program in favor of another project, which has not yet been clarified, has broken the relationship of trust between our two countries,” according to the Elysee.
 
For his part, US President Joe Biden pleaded guilty, Friday, acknowledging that the United States had acted “clumsily” in the submarine issue.