Scott Morrison and Emmanuel Macron break silence over subs

Scott Morrison has spoken with Emmanuel Macron for the first time since Australia scrapped the $90bn Attack-class submarines.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Scott Morrison in Paris in June. Picture: Adam Taylor / PMO

Scott Morrison has spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron for the first time since Australia scrapped the $90bn ­Attack-class submarines, in an ­effort to patch up relations ­between the countries before this weekend’s G20 meeting in Rome.

The Prime Minister spoke to Mr Macron about 6pm AEDT on Thursday before flying out for Rome.

Mr Macron reiterated during the call that Australia’s decision to cancel the conventionally powered French submarines in favour of US nuclear boats “had broken the relation of trust between our two countries”, his office said in a statement.

“It is now up to the Australian government to propose tangible actions that embody the political will of Australia’s highest auth­orities to redefine the basis of our bilateral relationship and continue joint action in the Indo-­Pacific,” the Elysee Palace statement said.

Senior Australian government sources said the pair had a ­“candid conversation” about the future of the bilateral relationship, and how the nations could collaborate in the Indo-Pacific.

“It was an opportunity for a clearing of the air before the G20,” a source said.

The Prime Minister set out the net-zero emissions position that Australia would take to next week’s climate talks in Glasgow, while Mr Macron reportedly called for Mr Morrison to phase out coal ­“production and ­consumption”.

The talks followed a handwritten letter from Mr Morrison to Mr Macron in September seeking a call between the pair.

Mr Morrison informed Mr Macron by text message that the Attack-class submarines had been cancelled in favour of American or British nuclear-powered boats on the night ­before the ­announcement that Australia would be buying nuclear sub­marines with the US and UK.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Marise Payne sidestepped questions on the government’s handling of the cancellation of the $90bn ­Attack-class sub­marines. She said the government had worked to prepare the French government for the decision but denied a US report that it had “all but told France that they were pulling the plug” as far back as June.

“There had been discussions over a period of time of our concerns … that a conventional submarine, even a conventional submarine of the standard of the prospective Attack-class, was not going to be able to meet our strategic needs in the future,” she said.

As US President Joe Biden scrambled to repair his relationship with Mr Macron after the September 16 AUKUS announcement, US media organisation Axios reported he and his aides had ­“acknowledged they were mistaken to leave it to the Australians to tell the French they were killing their submarine deal”.

“The Australians told the Americans in June that they had all but told France that they were pulling the plug, both in writing and in direct conversations ­between Macron and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, according to two sources familiar with the assurances,” Axios ­reported.

Senator Payne said it was “an assertion”, dismissing the ­article as “another piece of ­reporting”.

She said she informed her French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, by phone on the eve of the announcement.

Senator Payne also said she had sought a follow-up call with Mr Le Drian two weeks ago, but was still waiting to hear when it might occur.

The Foreign Minister revealed that she would speak to the French ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault, on Monday in their first meeting since he returned after being recalled to Paris.