Iraq wants French arms
2008-06-01 21:31
Baghdad - Iraq is interested in buying
sophisticated French weaponry to help re-equip its military as
it moves to take over security duties from coalition forces, a
government spokesperson said on Sunday.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki raised the issue in
talks with visiting French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner,
who was on a two-day visit to Iraq, his second in nine months.
Much of Iraq's air force and military equipment was
destroyed during the 2003 US-led invasion.
The army, which
relies on US military firepower in combating militants, has a
few Soviet-era battle tanks and armoured personnel carriers.
"Iraq needs weapons from different origins and the prime
minister expressed Iraq's willingness to import sophisticated
weapons from France for both military and security forces,"
government spokesperson Ali al-Dabbagh told reporters.
Air force
He did not say what equipment the Iraqi government was
interested in buying from France.
The government has said in the past it needs helicopters,
tanks, artillery and personnel carriers to supply its army and
police in order to take over security from departing US and
other coalition forces.
The United States is helping rebuild Iraq's air force, whose
fleet at the end of 2007 consisted of about 60 fixed-wing
aircraft and helicopters flying transport and reconnaissance
missions.
France is a major exporter of arms and military aircraft
with companies such as Dassault Aviation, Thales and the
Franco-German EADS.
An Iraqi cabinet statement said Kouchner had told Maliki
France was ready to help train Iraqi security forces.
- Reuters