Australian Nuclear Submarine Domino Effect, France Canceled Defense Meeting With UK

Australia Submarine HMAS Rankin (SSG 78). (Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist Seaman James R. Evans)

JAKARTA - France has canceled a meeting between Defense Minister Florence Parly and her British counterpart that was due to be held this week after Australia canceled an order for submarines from France, in favor of deals with Britain and the United States, two sources with knowledge of this said.

Minister Parly personally took the decision to cancel the bilateral meeting with British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, the sources said, citing Reuters September 20.

In this regard, the French Ministry of Defense could not immediately be reached. Britain's defense ministry declined to comment. Sources confirmed earlier reports in the Guardian newspaper that the meeting had been canceled.

The cancellation of the multi-billion dollar submarine contract, which occurred in 2016, has sparked a diplomatic crisis, with Paris recalling its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra.

France claims the cancellation was not consulted beforehand, while Australia said it had made clear to Paris its concerns over the contract for months.

Separately, French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden will speak by telephone in the coming days to discuss the crisis, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Sunday.

"President Biden asked to speak to the President of the Republic (Macron) and there will be a telephone discussion in the next few days between President Macron and President Biden," Gabriel Attal told news channel BFM TV.

"France will seek "clarification" on the cancellation of the submarine order," Attal continued.

Attal added that after the initial shock of cancellation, discussions needed to be carried out regarding the contract clauses, especially compensation for the French side.

It is known, last week the United States, Britain and Australia announced the security alliance of the three countries in the Indo-Pacific, AUKUS. Under the new trilateral security partnership, Australia will build at least eight nuclear submarines with US and UK technology. The canceled deal, made with the French Naval Group in 2016, was for the conventional submarine fleet.