The head of the United Arab Emirates armed forces, Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan, held talks with French government officials in Paris on the purchase of French missile attack naval craft, sources said Tuesday.
Sheikh Mohammad, currently in the French capital, met both the French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin and French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie.
Military sources said discussions were dominated by the Arab state's desire to purchase six naval corvettes, AFP reported.
The defense manufacturer Constructions Mecaniques de Normandie was in a good position to win the joint-venture contract, sources added. The company has already sold eight corvettes, which carries both long-range and short-range surface to surface missiles, to Kuwait.
The UAE is an important trading partner for France. It has bought weapons from other French manufacturers, including 63 Mirage jets, which are equipped with French missiles.
Sheikh Mohammad, son of UAE President Zayed ben Sultan al-Nahyan is also due to meet French President Jacques Chirac on Wednesday. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
