Leak of Macron texts 鈥榥ew low鈥 in Australia ties
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The Australia-France row over the collapse of a submarine deal reached an 鈥渦nprecedented new low鈥 when a message from the French president to Australia鈥檚 leader was leaked, France鈥檚 ambassador to Canberra said yesterday.
Emmanuel Macron sent the text message to Prime Minister Scott Morrison two days before Australia announced that it had torn up a decade-old multi-billion-dollar contract with France to build a new fleet of submarines.
Paris reacted furiously, and Macron added to the furore at the weekend by accusing Morrison of lying to him, a charge the Australian has batted away.
In a fiery speech yesterday, French ambassador to Australia Jean-Pierre Thebault said the leaking of the private text was an 鈥渦nprecedented new low.鈥
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 behave like this on personal exchanges of leaders who are allies. But maybe it is just confirmation that we were never seen as an ally,鈥 he told Australia鈥檚 National Press Club.
鈥淒oing so also sends a very worrying signal for all heads of state: beware, in Australia, there will be leaks.
鈥淎nd what you say in confidence to your partners will be eventually used and weaponized against you one day.鈥
In the message, Macron had asked Morrison: 鈥淪hould I expect good or bad news for our joint submarine ambitions?鈥
Reports said the leak could have been engineered by Morrison鈥檚 office in retaliation for the 鈥渓ying鈥 charge.
Australia announced in mid-September it was abandoning the French diesel submarines in favor of nuclear-powered submarines as it joined a new defense alliance with Britain and the United States dubbed AUKUS.
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