Saturday, October 11, 2008

Arms: France set to sell arms to Iraq

Officials say France, which famously opposed the Iraq war, is in talks to resume sales of military equipment to Baghdad for the first time in nearly two decades, the AFP reported.

This means that France, a major global arms vendor and once a key supplier to Saddam Hussein, is maneuvering its way back into a lucrative military market that the United States has dominated since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The French and Iraqi officials say French merchandise currently on offer includes helicopters and spare parts for weaponry that France sold back in the 1980s.

Jawad Bashara, spokesman for the Iraqi Embassy in France, said Friday that it's not about "replacing the Americans, or rejecting them."

He said a delegation is expected in France in the next two weeks to "finalize" a contract for 30 helicopters.

Republished permission FOCUS Information Agency

Published by Mike Hitchen, Mike Hitchen Consulting