Pact Clears Way For Sale Of French Weapons To Saudi Arabia

2006-07-26

Pierre Tran

Paris

www.defensenews.com/ story.php?F=1970197 &C=mideast

France and Saudi Arabia have signed a defense cooperation agreement and an annex to a previous pact, the office of the French president's spokesman, Jerome Bonnafont, said.

The agreements, signed July 21, were expected to pave the way for sales to the Saudi military of Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft, helicopters, transport planes, and Leclerc battle tanks, Agence France-Presse (AFP) news service reported, quoting Bonnafont. The helicopter and transport aircraft could be worth up to 4 billion euros ($5 billion), according to AFP.

The framework agreement also covers surface ships and submarines.

President Jacques Chirac, Saudi Crown Prince Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz and Defense Minister Sultan Ben Abel Aziz signed the main defense cooperation agreement, while the second pact was signed by the Saudi defense minister and his French counterpart, MichËle Alliot-Marie, AFP reported.

"Through these two agreements, Franco-Saudi cooperation in defense and security matters will be reinforced and new cooperation in military equipment will be undertaken," the French presidency said in a statement.

The signing at the highest level of state set the framework for cooperation in military equipment and signaled a political commitment to realize those defense projects, the statement said.

The signings would initially lead to sale to Saudi Arabia of helicopters and Airbus aircraft, and later Rafale fighters and Leclerc tanks, AFP reported. Negotiations would follow in bilateral talks.

Source: IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis