PARIS , — Talk about ignoring an elephant in the room. When Kamala Harris met with French President Emmanuel Macron this week, she said that she did not even discuss the secret submarine agreement that plunged U.S. relations with France to a historic low.
Harris stated that she did not view her four-day visit to France as a charm offensive and instead focused her attention on “our mutual interests” in European security, Africa, fighting the pandemic, and cooperating to make cyberspace more secure.
Both sides claimed that relations are entering a new era — and that the fact that they didn’t even discuss the submarine problem was a clear indication of that.
The core of the matter: In September, a secretly negotiated U.S./British submarine agreement with Australia was announced. This deal scuttled an earlier $66 billion French/Australian submarine contract. The U.S. agreement was built around concerns in Washington regarding China’s military aggression in the region.
France was furious, claiming it was kept from the truth about the deal and that its interests were not being considered. France has territories in the Indo-Pacific and 2 million people with 7,000 troops. France accused the Biden administration, accusing it of emulating the Trump era.
Harris said Friday that the dispute was not the purpose of her trip and she didn’t discuss it with reporters. She said that she had discussed the “problems” with Macron at Wednesday’s meeting.
She stated that her presence in France showed “the importance and value of alliances” and that the dispute was a reminder about both the strength and fragility of diplomatic relations.
She added, “We cannot take relationships for granted.”
Macron, after recalling France’s ambassador at the peak of the crisis for the first time in 250-years of diplomatic relations, seemed to be ready to move on. He was also happy to have Harris by his side during three days of international summits which put France and him front and center.
Macron and She agreed Wednesday to work together again. However, few concrete U.S. promises emerged from Harris’ first trip to Europe as vice-president. This comes just days after President Joe Biden said to Macron that the U.S. was “clumsy” in dealing with the submarine issue.
Douglas Emhoff, Harris’ husband, made an effort to rectify the faux pas while they were in Paris.
They visited the cemetery that holds the remains of over 1,500 Americans who served France in World Wars II and III. Emhoff also joined Macron at an solemn Armistice Day ceremony at Arc de Triomphe. Emhoff met with French groups working against inequality and attended a free cooking class for youth.
Harris emphasized the theme of “America’s back” on the international diplomatic stage and reiterated U.S. hopes of rejoining the nuclear agreement with Iran. He also participated in an international conference to support Libya’s elections after a decade-long period of violence and chaos.
Macron and She also discussed tensions at the Belarus-Poland border where thousands of migrants are trying to enter Europe, encouraged by Belarusian officials. She said that “The eyes and leaders of the world are watching what’s happening there” but did not elaborate on the steps the U.S. might be taking.
Harris resisted the suggestion that the U.S. should require similar virus vaccination passes to those in Europe to be allowed into restaurants and other public places, despite virus cases rife across Europe and France.
