PARIS — US President Joe Biden and French President
Emmanuel
Macron will talk on the phone in the coming days amid high tension
over a submarines contract, a French government spokesman said Sunday.
اضافة اعلان
The announcement comes a day after France recalled its
ambassadors to Washington and Canberra, unhappy over secret US-Australia
negotiations that led to the cancellation of a multi-billion Australian order
for French submarines.
"There will be an exchange on the phone in the coming
days," spokesman Gabriel Attal told the BFM news channel, adding that the
request for the conversation had come from
Biden.
Macron will ask the US president for
"clarification" after the announcement of a US-Australian-UK defense
pact as part of which Canberra is to buy American nuclear-powered submarines,
cancelling a huge contract for diesel-electric French vessels.
"We want explanations," Attal said, adding that
the US had to answer for "what looks a lot like a major breach of
trust".
Earlier Sunday,
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison
rejected France's accusations that Canberra lied about its plans to cancel the
contract, saying he had raised concerns over the deal "some months
ago".
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