Algeria to return Russian jets

2008-02-18 19:10

Moscow - Algeria wants to return 15 fighter jets it bought from Russia because of their poor quality, the Kommersant daily reported on Monday, citing an official from Russia's state United Aerospace Corporation.

The official said Russia was proposing to take back the MiG-29 jets, which were delivered to Algeria in 2006 and 2007, but only if Algeria bought more modern and expensive planes such as the MiG-29M2 or the MiG-35.

Kommersant quoted another Russian official from the energy and industry ministry saying that a deal on the MiG jets had been reached.

The ministry's press service, contacted by AFP on Monday, could not immediately confirm or deny the report.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for talks on "military cooperation" in the Kremlin on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told AFP, without giving further details.

In return for Russia agreeing to cancel Algeria's Soviet-era debts, Algerian authorities bought Russian arms worth $6.3bn, including $3.5bn in fighter jets, during a visit by Putin to Algeria in 2006.

- AFP