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(Agence France-Presse, United Nations Headquarters, New York, 23rd) France fell into a diplomatic crisis with the United States because of the collapse of a huge submarine agreement. French Foreign Minister Le Drian told U.S. Secretary of State Brinken today that stepping out of this crisis “needs time and action.”
After Australia cancelled its US$40 billion submarine contract with France and turned to cooperate with the United States and Britain to build a nuclear-powered submarine fleet, France angrily recalled its ambassador to the United States and Australia. Jean-Yves Le Drian also described Australia’s decision as “stabbing a knife in the back”.
Le Drian and Antony Blinken held a closed-door meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York today at the office of the French delegation to the United Nations, which lasted about an hour.
According to a post-meeting statement issued by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Le Drian told Brinken that the phone conversation between French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden yesterday was the “first step” in restoring relations between the two parties.
LeDrian had been refusing to let go earlier this week that he would have a direct conversation with Brinken.
But after Biden spoke with Macron, the two leaders announced that they would “in-depth consultations to ensure mutual trust” and will meet in Europe at the end of October. The joint statement also mentioned that Macron will order the French ambassador to return to his post in Washington next week.
White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters that the atmosphere of the talks was “friendly” and Biden was full of hope that this would be a step forward for the return of the two countries to normal.
A press release issued by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Le Drian “agreed to maintain close ties (with Brinken)” to “restore trust,” but did not provide further details.
© 2021 AFP