SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison sought support for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic in phone calls with U.S. President Donald Trump and the German and French leaders, Canberra said on Wednesday.
FILE PHOTO: Police officers patrol near the Sydney Opera House following the implementation of stricter social-distancing and self-isolation rules to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sydney, Australia, April 6, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File Photo
But French President Emmanuel Macron told him the urgency was to beat the pandemic before looking for who was at fault, a French official said.
Australia’s push for an independent review of the origins and spread of the pandemic, including the response of the World Health Organization (WHO), has drawn sharp criticism from China, which has accused Australian lawmakers of taking instructions from the United States.
The new coronavirus, believed to have emerged in a market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, was first reported by China to the WHO on Dec. 31.
WHO informed member states of the outbreak on Jan 5 and warned publicly