https://sputnikglobe.com/20210918/no10s-biggest-secret-only-ten-people-in-uk-were-in-the-know-about-aukus-pact-1089181523.html
No.10's Biggest Secret: Only Ten People in UK 'Were in the Know About AUKUS Pact'
No.10's Biggest Secret: Only Ten People in UK 'Were in the Know About AUKUS Pact'
Sputnik International
The new defence alliance AUKUS, announced by the US, the UK, and Australia on Wednesday, immediately caused harsh criticism from China and France. The EU, in... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International
2021-09-18T07:49+0000
2021-09-18T07:49+0000
2023-05-28T15:24+0000
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Just ten people in Britain were in the know about the AUKUS pact, which stipulates the US and the UK helping Australia develop nuclear submarine capability, The Times has cited unnamed defence sources as saying.According to the insiders, the UK government codenamed the deal "Operation Hookless", purportedly the most closely guarded secret inside Downing Street for many years.One of the sources claimed that the deal-related secret discussions could be likened to a scene from an espionage novel by British-Irish author John Le Carre.Those involved in the debates were allegedly ordered to sign a paper pledging to not speak about the discussions outside of the ten-strong group.The sources also asserted that Australia was interested in sophisticated nuclear-powered submarines in order to tackle an alleged threat from China and that Canberra had decided the diesel electric submarines it earlier agreed to buy from France did not meet the task.The announcement of the AUKUS alliance on Wednesday was followed by Australia leaving a $90-billion (AUD) submarine deal with France's Naval Group, in what was slammed by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian as a "stab in the back".France was quick to cancel a planned gala at its embassy in Washington to celebrate the 240th anniversary of the Battle of the Capes, a move that was followed by Paris recalling its ambassadors to the US and Australia in protest against the AUKUS pact.UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for his part, insisted that the new trilateral alliance does not affect the three countries' cooperation with NATO, which remains unshakable, and that the pact does not violate the non-proliferation agreement.The claims came as UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace fired back at Beijing's previous assertions that the AUKUS partnership between Washington, London, and Canberra is a display of a "Cold War mentality". Wallace said that the new alliance is "not about antagonising anyone" and is "not only about China".Although Beijing was not mentioned in a statement about the creation of AUKUS, the alliance is widely seen as an effort to contain China's growing regional clout.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20210916/aukus-not-intended-to-be-adversarial-to-other-countries-uk-pm-johnson-says-1089122065.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20210916/aukus-treaty-undermines-regional-stability-chinese-foreign-ministry-says-1089120286.html
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No.10's Biggest Secret: Only Ten People in UK 'Were in the Know About AUKUS Pact'
07:49 GMT 18.09.2021 (Updated: 15:24 GMT 28.05.2023) The new defence alliance AUKUS, announced by the US, the UK, and Australia on Wednesday, immediately caused harsh criticism from China and France. The EU, in turn, vowed to deal with "the implications" after it was revealed that the bloc was not informed about AUKUS.
Just ten people in Britain were in the know about
the AUKUS pact, which stipulates the US and the UK helping Australia develop nuclear submarine capability,
The Times has cited unnamed defence sources as saying.
The source said the list includes a number of senior British officials, among them Prime Minister Boris Johnson, outgoing Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove, First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, and Mr Johnson's foreign policy adviser, John Bew.
According to the insiders, the UK government codenamed the deal "Operation Hookless", purportedly the most closely guarded secret inside Downing Street for many years.
One of the sources claimed that the deal-related secret discussions could be likened to a scene from an espionage novel by British-Irish author John Le Carre.
16 September 2021, 09:55 GMT
Those involved in the debates were allegedly ordered to sign a paper pledging to not speak about the discussions outside of the ten-strong group.
The sources also asserted that Australia was interested in sophisticated nuclear-powered submarines in order to tackle an alleged threat from China and that Canberra had decided the diesel electric submarines it earlier agreed to buy from France did not meet the task.
The announcement of the AUKUS alliance on Wednesday was followed by Australia leaving a $90-billion (AUD)
submarine deal with France's Naval Group, in what was slammed by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian as a "stab in the back".
"We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed. This is not done between allies", the minister said.
France was quick to cancel a planned gala at its embassy in Washington to celebrate the 240th anniversary of the Battle of the Capes, a move that was followed by Paris recalling its ambassadors to the US and Australia in protest against the AUKUS pact.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for his part, insisted that the new trilateral alliance does not affect the three countries' cooperation with NATO, which remains unshakable, and that the pact does not violate the non-proliferation agreement.
16 September 2021, 08:11 GMT
The claims came as UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace fired back at Beijing's previous assertions that the AUKUS partnership between Washington, London, and Canberra is a display of a "Cold War mentality". Wallace said that the new alliance is "not about antagonising anyone" and is "not only about China".
Although Beijing was not mentioned in a statement about the creation of AUKUS, the alliance is widely seen as an effort to contain China's growing regional clout.
