Johnson assures Macron that he wants to "reestablish cooperation" between the UK and France

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson assured French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday that despite the submarine crisis he wants to "restore cooperation" between the two countries on a wide range of issues, including geostrategic interests.

The conversation was held "at the request" of the head of the British Government, stressed the Elysee when announcing the talk, which took place two days after another telephone interview between Macron and US President Joe Biden.

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Paris accuses London, along with Washington and Canberra, of having played dirty and betrayed its trust - and, incidentally, Europe - by secretly snatching a multi-million dollar contract from France to build submarines for Australia.

The agreement between the three countries, known as Aukus for its acronym in English, has generated a strong diplomatic crisis on several sides that the capitals involved have been trying to solve for a week.

"Johnson has expressed his intention to reestablish cooperation between France and the United Kingdom, in accordance with our values ​​and our common interests (environment, Indo-Pacific, fight against terrorism, etc.)", revealed the Elysee this Friday. According to the official French version, Macron "has replied that he was waiting for his proposals."

The remarkably dry reply of the French president is one more example of the great anger that the submarine crisis has caused in France, in which Paris sees an attempt, especially by Washington, but also by London, to put it aside in a zone of key geostrategic importance such as the Indo-Pacific region. The previous tone of Johnson has not helped either, who this week, during his visit to Washington, joked about the anger of Paris and called on France to calm down. "

Donnez-moi un break

(give me a break)", he said before the cameras in a humorous mix of English and French that in Paris was very little funny.

France has not spared on gestures to show its anger with London, although it considers that its role is less in the "stab in the back" that according to Paris the United States and Australia gave it.

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Defense Minister Florence Parly this week canceled a meeting she had planned with her British counterpart, Ben Wallace. The head of French diplomacy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, explaining why he had ordered, at Macron's request, the call for consultations of the French ambassadors in Washington and Canberra last Friday, but not that of London, replied: “ In this case, Great Britain is a bit the fifth wheel of the car. We know the permanent opportunism ”of the British, said Le Drian. The submarine crisis has erupted at the end of a summer plagued by tensions between London and Paris over disputes related to Brexit, especially the situation of French fishermen, and the crossing of irregular immigrants through the English Channel, which British blame it on a lack of zeal on the part of the French authorities.

Following telephone conversations with Biden and Johnson, an interview with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is still pending.

As he declared on Wednesday, also from Washington, although he has tried the rapprochement, Paris has not yet accepted his call.

“We will be patient.

We understand their disappointment and that is the way to handle difficult issues, "said Morrison, according to Efe.

While France has already agreed to the return, next week, of its ambassador in Washington, it has not yet decided on a date for the return of its representative in Canberra.

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