UAE says 'progress' in talks on French warplanes
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan said on Tuesday there was 'positive progress' in talks about the possible purchase of French Rafale fighter planes.
"It (the purchase) was discussed," he told AFP, referring to talks between visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his UAE opposite number Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan.
"I can say there has been positive progress on this issue."
The United Arab Emirates said last year it was considering replacing its fleet of 60 French Mirage combat planes with Rafale jets, in a deal that could be worth between six and eight billion euros (eight to 11 billion dollars).
On Saturday, a spokesman for Rafale maker Dassault Aviation told AFP that a deal was unlikely in the next few days.
France is a leading military supplier to the UAE, where Sarkozy on Tuesday inaugurated a new French military base, its first in the oil-rich Gulf region.
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan said on Tuesday there was 'positive progress' in talks about the possible purchase of French Rafale fighter planes.
"It (the purchase) was discussed," he told AFP, referring to talks between visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his UAE opposite number Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan.
"I can say there has been positive progress on this issue."
The United Arab Emirates said last year it was considering replacing its fleet of 60 French Mirage combat planes with Rafale jets, in a deal that could be worth between six and eight billion euros (eight to 11 billion dollars).
On Saturday, a spokesman for Rafale maker Dassault Aviation told AFP that a deal was unlikely in the next few days.
France is a leading military supplier to the UAE, where Sarkozy on Tuesday inaugurated a new French military base, its first in the oil-rich Gulf region.