Europe 1 with AFP 8:10 p.m., September 20, 2021

On the eve of the United Nations General Assembly, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, got angry on American television on Monday against the way France was treated in the context of the crisis over the under - Australian sailors. “We want to know what happened and why,” she asked.

This is an update on the eve of the opening of the United Nations General Assembly.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Monday deemed "unacceptable" the way France was treated within the framework of the security pact concluded between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

"One of our Member States has been treated in a way that is not acceptable. (…) We want to know what happened and why," she told journalist Christiane Amanpour of the American news channel CNN.

A meeting to examine the consequences of this pact 

Ursula von der Leyen is the first head of a European institution to react to the announcement of this pact, called AUKUS, which resulted in the termination of an important arms contract between France and Australia. Worth 90 billion Australian dollars (56 billion euros), it provided for the supply of 12 submarines with diesel propulsion and was often described as "contract of the century".

The EU was neither consulted nor informed before the announcement of the strategic partnership for the Indo-Pacific region concluded between Washington, London and Canberra, said Friday the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell.

The foreign ministers of EU countries will discuss the consequences of this pact on Monday evening, during a meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

"Josep Borrell will chair this meeting, which will be the first opportunity to discuss the implications and consequences of this agreement for the EU and its member states," said his spokesperson.

"The meeting will last two hours and Josep Borrell is expected to report on it with a statement," he added.

Recall of the Ambassador to the United States

To express its anger, France recalled its ambassador to the United States, an unprecedented act vis-à-vis this historic ally, and its representative in Australia, the country at the origin of the crisis.

Paris also canceled a meeting between French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly and her British counterpart Ben Wallace.

Jean-Yves le Drian, the head of French diplomacy who will speak at the United Nations platform, accuses the leaders of the three signatories of the AUKUS pact for having concealed their negotiations for months and denounces a "major breach of confidence" between NATO allies.

No meeting Le Drian-Blinken?

But on the American side, on the other hand, little room for emotion in recent days.

Just a few messages this weekend to remind that Paris was a vital partner of the United States, but no reaction to the words of Jean-Yves Le Drian, who compared the attitude of Joe Biden to that of Donald Trump.

For the moment, no meeting is planned between the French and American ministers, while Jean-Yves Le Drian and his counterpart Anthony Blinken will be in the same building at the United Nations headquarters.

At the same time, the United States announced its decision to reopen its borders in November.

A choice which is not trivial at the time when the United Nations General Assembly opens, a decision which could also be linked to the crisis between Paris and Washington, according to a senior American official.