French envoy to Australia: Deceitful sub deal raises risks

By MASHA MACPHERSON
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — France’s ambassador to Australia says Australian officials lied to his face and raised the risk of confrontation in Asia by crafting a secret submarine deal with the United States and Britain. Ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault said in an interview with The Associated Press that the deal undermined trust in democratic alliances. He says France is determined to protect its interests in the Indo-Pacific region and to put “muscle” into Europe’s strategy toward China. Thebault is heading back to Canberra soon after being recalled to Paris in an unprecedented diplomatic rift. Of the Australian officials he worked with on the now-scuppered submarine deal, he said, “I don’t understand how it was possible to commit such a lie.”