Submarines to Australia – the Australia-France “contract of the century”
In a possible signs of things to come, France’s ambassador to Australia, Christophe Lecourtier, said future ties would not just be limited to submarines.
Australia-French relations: from nuclear villains to submarine purveyors, AFR, 28 Apr 18, “……France winning, against hefty odds, the $50 billion contract to supply 12 French-designed submarines for the Australian Navy. State-controlled defence contractor DCNS won out over Germany’s ThysennKrupp Marine Systems and Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to build 12 conventional submarines in Australia, a coup hailed by the French media as “the contract of the century”……
Relations between France, Australia and New Zealand worsened dramatically when French agents blew up Greenpeace protest boat the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour in July, 1985.
During an operation run by the Direction Generale de la Securite Exterieure, French operatives sank the Rainbow Warrior as it was preparing to sail to Mururoa to protest French nuclear testing area in the Pacific. A Portuguese photographer, Fernando Pereira, who was on board at the time, was killed.
France initially denied responsibility, but two French agents were captured by New Zealand police and charged with arson and murder. They pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to 10 years in prison. They spent just over two years confined to the French island of Hao before being freed by the French government.
After months of lies and obfuscation by the French government, the truth came out, resulting in the resignation of the French defence minister, Charles Hernu.
Tensions increased again in the mid 1990s when the French resumed nuclear testing. There were big protests throughout Australia, and calls for a boycott of Australian-based French businesses……
French interest in the future Australian submarine contract increased as the bidding process was opened up to Japan, Germany and France. In March this year, France sent its largest business delegation in nearly two decades to Australia, spruiking the economic benefits of its bid. Executives from French corporate giants Airbus, BNP Paribas, Thales, DCNS and many more met top Australian government and business figures.
In a possible signs of things to come, France’s ambassador to Australia, Christophe Lecourtier, said future ties would not just be limited to submarines. “We’re not just offering a submarine design, but also a broader alliance between our business communities, between our governments, to face some of the most tricky challenges of this century,” he told Reuters.
After the contract was awarded, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told Europe 1 radio: “We’re ‘married’ to Australia for 50 years.” This is a reference to the long contract delivery time, which will go on until at least 2045, and the maintenance work expected for decades after that……http://www.afr.com/news/policy/foreign-affairs/australiafrench-relations-from-nuclear-villains-to-submarine-purveyors-20160428-gogutr
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