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Updated November 11th, 2021 at 20:43 IST

US NSA refuses to admit comfort over Australia's handling of AUKUS pact

US has refused to say if it is comfortable with the way Australia handled talks with France before the announcement of the trilateral defence pact, AUKUS

Reported by: Aanchal Nigam
AUKUS
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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The United States has refused to say if Washington is comfortable with the way Australia handled talks with France before the announcement of the trilateral defence pact, AUKUS. US President Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday, 11 November said there was no point in dwelling on the “challenges” surrounding the announcement of the partnership between Australia, the UK and the US. He also said that it “will be interesting for the historians to do at some point.” 

Biden’s top adviser refrained from outrightly supporting Canberra’s handling of the AUKUS as France continues to criticise Australia. As per The Guardian report, while addressing a webinar hosted by the Sydney-based Lowy Insitute, Sullivan said that the Biden administration would engage in “stiff competition” with China but there was no reason that had to “turn into conflict or confrontation”. He also revealed that the US has agreed to share the sensitive nuclear submarine technology with Australia to indicate to allies that “if you bet with us, we will bet with you.”

France in September had said that it was “stabbed in the back” by its friends and allies as Canberra cancelled its previous deal with Paris which was worth $90 billion for conventionally powered submarines and chose to participate in AULKUS with Washington and London. However, under AUKUS, Australia would get nuclear-powered submarines from UK and US. The trilateral pact weighed heavy on Australia-France relations.

Most recently, the French envoy criticised the Australian government’s handling of the AUKUS defence deal as the rift between both nations continue to further deteriorate. As per The Guardian report, French ambassador Jean-Pierre Thébault said that the Scott Morrison-led government in Australia acted in a way that was “out of this world” and not beneficial to friends. He reportedly also questioned if any other partner could trust the “value of Australia’s signature and commitment.”

Biden admits US was 'clumsy' in orchestrating AUKUS

While Sullivan avoided a clear remark on Thursday, just last month when Biden admitted to French President Emmanuel Macron that AUKUS announcement was a “clumsy” episode handled with lack of grace. Macron and Biden met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Rome as the US moved to mend ties with Australia over the pact. US President also implied that he thought his French counterpart was informed before the announcement which took Paris by shock. 

“I think, what happened was to use an English phrase, what we did was clumsy, the submarine deal was not done with a lot of grace. I was under the impression that France had been informed long before," Biden said, as per AP.

(IMAGE: AP)

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Published November 11th, 2021 at 20:43 IST

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