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France 'near closing Emirates Rafale deal'
by Staff Writers
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UPI) Oct 17, 2011

France in 'final' talks with UAE on Rafale sales: minister
Paris (AFP) Oct 17, 2011 - France is in the final stage of negotiations with the United Arab Emirates for the sale of Rafale fighter jets, Defence Minister Gerard Longuet said on Monday.

"We are in the final negotiation," Longuet said on LCI television of talks on the UAE acquiring the French-made fighters, adding that the chances were "very strong" that a contract would be signed.

"It's a significant deal for this country," he said. "When you equip an air fleet, it's for 40 years, so the buyer sets his conditions."

Negotiations began in 2008 for the sale of 60 Rafale fighters, the pride of Dassault Aviation used by France's armed forces but yet to be sold abroad.

Abu Dhabi has asked for an improved version fitted with a more powerful engine from Snecma of the Safran group with a thrust of nine tonnes, as well as a higher performing radar system from Thales.

Financing of these improvements "is one of the issues under discussion," a top Dassault Aviation official said in February.


France was reported Monday to be in the final stages of wrapping up a $10 billion contract with the United Arab Emirates for 60 Rafale combat jets.

That would be a crucial breakthrough for French manufacturer Dassault Aviation, which has been struggling for years to find its first foreign buyer for the multi-role fighter.

"We're in the final negotiations," French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet told France's LCI television, adding that the prospect of a deal was "very strong."

He indicated that Dassault probably had to make major concessions to close the deal with the Emirates, which had been demanding improved weapons and electronics since negotiations began in 2008.

"It's a significant deal for this country," Longuet said. "When you equip an air fleet, it's for 40 years, so the buyer sets his conditions."

The Emirates particularly wanted a more powerful M88 engine from Snecma of France's Safran Group, which is considered better suited for desert conditions, and a higher performing radar system from Thales.

Financing these modifications "is one of the issues under discussion," a senior Dassault executive disclosed in February.

Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, commander of the Emirates' armed forces, broke off negotiations in the summer of 2010, apparently because of leaks on the discussions by the French.

Sheik Mohammed, who is also crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich emirate that dominates military affairs, jolted the French by approaching Boeing in August 2010 about a possible deal on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, possibly to determine what technology would be available.

France then agreed Jan. 3 to clear the acquisition of 200 Meteor over-the horizon air-to-air missiles produced by MBDA for the possible Rafale sale.

For the French, the Emirates deal is critical because they have invested so much political capital and effort into the sale.

A senior delegation from Dassault traveled to Abu Dhabi, the emirates' economic powerhouse, which controls arms procurement, Sept. 3 to step up the company's bid to secure a deal for the Rafale.

The aircraft is the standard bearer for the French aerospace industry, showcasing Dassault's capabilities as designer and manufacturer of cutting-edge fighters.

Other French defense companies also have a lot riding on the Rafale sale, such as MBDA, which anticipates further export orders for the Meteor and other missiles, if it goes through.

Dassault is desperate to sign on its first foreign buyer. The Rafale is also in a contender in multibillion-dollar fighter contests in Brazil, India and Switzerland.

The Emirates also seek to outfit the Dassault jets with active electronically scanned radar, the Damocles targeting pod and the Reco NG reconnaissance pod.

In April, the French deployed a flight of Rafale F3 jets equipped with the Reco NG and Damocles at a French base in Abu Dhabi to demonstrate the systems.

The base at Al Dhafra, France's only military foothold in the Persian Gulf, was inaugurated in 2010 by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in a personal bid to boost the Rafale contract.

Another demand by the Emirates was that France find a buyer for the 63 Dassault Mirage 2000-9 fighters Abu Dhabi bought in 1983, which the Rafales are intended to replace.

The Emirates has also looked at Lockheed Martin's F-16 as a possible contender to replace the Mirages. Lockheed offered to provide the Emirates with late-model F-16s until the new stealthy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is available.

It's not clear whether Abu Dhabi is considering that option.

The United Arab Emirates has a history of buying French military hardware. Apart from the Mirages 2000-9s, in 1994, the seven-emirate federation was the first foreign buyer of the Leclerc main battle tank produced by what was then Giat Industries, now Nexter.

The Emirates bought 390 desert variants of the Leclerc, plus 46 armored recovery vehicles, for $2.4 billion, and remains the tank's only foreign buyer.

The Emirates has built up its air power in recent years to the point where it vies with Saudi Arabia.

It has increasingly focused on offensive operations rather than air-defense, with Iran, its much larger neighbor across the gulf, viewed as its mostly likely adversary.

The Emirates' air component has 155 combat aircraft. Saudi Arabia, with the largest air force in the Gulf Cooperation Council alliance, has 280.

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British defence minister breached govt code: report
London (AFP) Oct 17, 2011 - Former British defence secretary Liam Fox's ties with friend and self-styled adviser Adam Werritty breached the ministerial code, a civil service report to be released Tuesday is expected to conclude.

Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell, the country's most senior civil servant, accepts in his report that Fox had broken the code while stating that he did not gain financially from the breach, according to the BBC.

The report, due to be handed to Prime Minister David Cameron early Tuesday, concludes that Fox made the right decision in quitting his post last week.

Fox, who played a key role in Britain's military campaigns in Libya and Afghanistan, resigned Friday after it emerged that his best man Werritty posed as a government adviser and took foreign trips with the minister.

Conservative party lawmaker Fox has apologised to parliament and admitted Werritty had accompanied him on 18 foreign trips, and visited him 22 times at the Ministry of Defence in London.

Fox stepped down amid reports that financial backers linked to Israel and a private security firm had funded Werritty's first-class travel and hotel stays during his time with the minister.

Tuesday's report will not cover the allegations that Fox misled donors as to why they were to fund Werritty.

The report will also avoid suggesting revisions to the code, which binds ministers to "avoid a conflict of interest or the perception of any conflict between their public duties and private interests."

The affair has damaged the Tory party according to a poll commissioned by Tuesday's Times newspaper, which shows that the opposition Labour Party now commands the largest lead since last year's general election.

Labour's share of the vote has risen by three percent since September to 41 points, giving it an eight point lead over the Conservatives, the Populous poll found.



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