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At G20 summit, France's Macron calls Aus PM a 'liar', threatens sanctions against UK

There was a back-and-forth between Macron and UK PM Boris Johnson

France West Africa Fighting Extremism French President Emmanuel Macron

At the recently concluded G20 summit, French President Emmanuel Macron was in an unusually combative mood. He accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison of 'lying' related to a nuclear submarine purchase, and raked up a spat over fishing in the English channel with the UK. 

Fishing is a tiny industry economically, but one that looms large symbolically for maritime nations like Britain and France. Britain's exit from the economic rules of the 27-nation European Union means that the UK now controls who fishes in its waters. Paris claims some vessels have been denied permits to fish in waters where they have long sailed. Britain says it has granted 98 per cent of applications from EU vessels, and now the dispute comes down to just a few dozen French boats with insufficient paperwork.

France has threatened to bar British boats from some of its ports and tighten checks on boats and trucks carrying UK goods if more French vessels aren't licensed to fish in UK waters by Tuesday. It has maintained its threat to impose sanctions starting Tuesday, that could include a blockade of British boats. "The ball is now in their court. If the British don't do any significant move, [retaliatory] measures starting from November 2 will need to be implemented," the French president said. "I would deplore it. But what we cannot do is not respond and not defend our fishermen."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK's position is unchanged. "I must say I was puzzled to read a letter from the French prime minister explicitly asking for Britain to be punished for leaving the EU," the prime minister said. "I just have to say to everybody that I don't believe that is compatible either with the spirit or the letter of the UK's withdrawal deal and post-Brexit trade agreement with the EU."

Macron calls Australian PM Scott Morrison a 'liar'

Macron, on the sidelines of the summit, accused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison of lying to him while the latter was "secretly negotiating a submarine deal with the United States and Britain". Answering a reporter's question about whether he thinks Morrison lied to him, Macron replied: "I don't think, I know he lied." Australia last month cancelled a multi-billion dollar contract to buy diesel-electric French submarines and instead decided to acquire US nuclear-powered submarines. The decision was part of an Indo-Pacific pact between Australia, Britain and the US.

The pact, known as AUKUS, infuriated France, which recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia over the lost deal. Macron and Morrison talked on Thursday for the first time since Australia cancelled the French submarine contract. They were both in Rome, but did not hold a bilateral meeting. 

-Inputs from agencies

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