After “Friendly” Biden-Macron Call, French Envoy To Return To US

Washington: US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron had a “friendly” call Wednesday to defuse a deep row over submarine sales to Australia, promising to satisfy face to face to repair the transatlantic relationship.
The call, which the White House said lasted about half-hour , was the primary between Biden and Macron since France recalled its ambassador over the surprise US announcement of a deal to create nuclear submarines for Australia — scuppering a previous French deal to sell conventional submarines.

Paris called the US-Australian plan, which was launched as a part of a replacement Indo-Pacific security group along side Britain, a stab within the back and also pulled its ambassador from Australia.

In a joint statement after the decision , the 2 leaders vowed to launch “in-depth consultations… for ensuring confidence” and to satisfy in Europe at the top of October. The statement also said Macron would order France’s ambassador back to Washington next week.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters the talk “was friendly” and Biden was “hopeful this was a step in returning to normal.”

The statement said the US recognized the necessity for stronger European defense to enrich the NATO military alliance, a key idea repeatedly floated by the French leader.

In what amounted to an acknowledgement of French anger, the English-language version of the statement issued by the White House said that the management of the dueling submarine deals “would have benefited from open consultations among allies.”

The French-language version issued by the Elysee Palace was even more explicit, saying consultations “would have avoided this example .”

There was no word about where the October meeting are going to be but Biden will already be in Rome and Glasgow at that point for the G20 and COP26 climate summits.

At the annual United Nations summit, French secretary of state Jean-Yves Le Drian, after giving the snub for days, spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of a gathering and therefore the two expected to satisfy again Thursday, a US official said.

‘Good messages’

France’s Naval Group said it’ll send an in depth invoice within the coming weeks to Australia for cancelling the contract originally worth Aus$50 billion ($36.5 billion, 31 billion euros).

As well as an enormous commercial setback, the loss of the deal was also a blow to France’s security strategy within the Indo-Pacific region, where it’s a presence through overseas territories.

The submarine row plunged Franco-US ties into what some analysts viewed because the most acute crisis since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which Paris opposed.

After four years of tumultuous relations with ex-president Donald Trump, the spat also dashed hopes of an entire reset under Biden, who took office in January getting to rebuild frazzled ties with Europe.

Wednesday’s call sought a minimum of to settle the mood, with the White House soon after releasing a photograph of Biden smiling while chatting with Macron.

“The messages from the decision are good. it had been recognized that communication should are better,” said Benjamin Haddad, director of the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council, a think factory .

“The US understood that the most shock in Paris didn’t come such a lot from the commercial aspect as from the breakdown in confidence,” he said.

In another welcome step for Paris, the joint statement added that the US committed “to reinforcing its support to counter-terrorism operations” within the Sahel region of Africa, where French forces are deployed to fight jihadists.

‘Non-existent dialogue’

Observers and a few of France’s European partners had begun wondering how and when Macron would call an end to the face-off, which is playing out just seven months before French presidential elections.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson showed he was out of patience, employing a French-English mix to mention it had been “time for a few of our dearest friends round the world to ‘prenez un grip’ (get a grip).”

There is still no indication of France making up with Australia, which says its decision to choose much more capable nuclear-powered submarines is a component of a long-term strategy to contain China’s rising presence within the Indo-Pacific.

An Elysee official, who asked to not be named, said no decision has been made on the French ambassador’s return to Canberra while no call has been scheduled with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.