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France stops military equipment sales to Pakistan
Posted on May 28, 2011
BANGALORE: France will stop sales of heavy military equipment to Pakistan hoping to assuage Indian concerns and prolong the recent success it has had in winning contracts from the Indian armed forces.
Gerard Longuet , the French defence minister, began his two-day visit to India by assuring the country that France does not want to be seen feeding Pakistan’s military ambitions.
“Concerns did come up in my discussions with the defence minister about India’s concerns. We supply Pakistan equipment that enables them to intercept terrorist communications. And we have decided to discourage any requests from Pakistan for heavy equipment, notably naval equipment,” the defence minister said.
While Longuet did not expressly mention the Inter-Service Intelligence, he strongly alluded to the agency’s suspected role in providing a safe haven to the 9/11 mastermind.
“After the death of Osama bin Laden, Pakistan should be given an opportunity to explain its position vis-a-vis terrorism,” he said.
India, for long, has maintained that the sale of weapons by the West to Pakistan in the name of terrorism has instead been used by latter to build its own military arsenal rather than the actual purpose of the sale.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy during his state visit to India last year had called upon Pakistan to fight terrorism more determinedly.
There is a reason behind the hard line against Pakistan on the issue. French companies have had remarkable success in winning key defence contracts in India, including being short-listed for the $11-billion Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender, often described as the al-Yamamah – the famed arms race to supply the Saudi Kingdom in the 1980s – of the modern era.
Further, India’s efforts to build up its submarine fleet, with Project 75 and 75I – to build six Scorpene submarines, will also see French defence companies playing an integral role.
The $2.4-billion Mirage-2000 upgrade is also expected to be announced shortly. Last week ET had reported that the Cabinet Committee on Security, the apex body which is responsible for large defence procurements, had already given its approval for the contract. French defence giants Dassault Aviation, Thales and MBDA will be the lead contractors on the project.
“The France-Pakistan relationship is largely based on geo-political terms. France, which is one of the most multi-cultural societies in Europe, has to take into consideration global terrorism issues. But there has been major reorientation in its foreign policy towards Pakistan,” Deba Ranjan Mohanty, senior fellow with the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, said.
Paris has been keen to establish closer defence and strategic ties with New Delhi, and by positioning itself as a more natural ally of India, it provides an interesting bulwark to the growing proximity between South Block and Pentagon .
“As most bilateral relationships, this is also a product of politics and economics. There is a massive commercial and strategic angle. India is not only a huge market, it is also seen as the only stable force in a very volatile region,” Mohanty said.
Mr Longuet’s visit comes also at a time when India is looking to finalise the lucrative $11-billion fighter jet deal for the Indian Air Force . French aerospace giant, Dassault Aviation is one of the contenders, through its offering, Rafale.
“We have one single speaking partner (Dassault) instead of four partners (European firms from Italy, Germany, Spain and UK). Mr Longuet said, taking an expected swipe at rival short-listed candidate, the pan-European consortium built, Eurofighter Typhoon.
The MMRCA tender is considered the most high-profile military aviation contracts in recent times, and had some of the world’s largest defence vendors vying for it, including Lockheed Martin , Boeing and Saab .
The French minister also said that a decision on the IAF’s $2.4-billion Mirage-2000 fleet upgrade was also eagerly awaited.
“We are in the final stages of the upgrade agreement. It is up to the Indian political establishment to take a decision. We are confident that it will happen soon,” he said.
France’s ambassador to India, Jerome Bonnafont also confirmed that price negotiations over the deal had been completed, and a decision was awaited.
Source: Economic Times
Posted on May 28, 2011
BANGALORE: France will stop sales of heavy military equipment to Pakistan hoping to assuage Indian concerns and prolong the recent success it has had in winning contracts from the Indian armed forces.
Gerard Longuet , the French defence minister, began his two-day visit to India by assuring the country that France does not want to be seen feeding Pakistan’s military ambitions.
“Concerns did come up in my discussions with the defence minister about India’s concerns. We supply Pakistan equipment that enables them to intercept terrorist communications. And we have decided to discourage any requests from Pakistan for heavy equipment, notably naval equipment,” the defence minister said.
While Longuet did not expressly mention the Inter-Service Intelligence, he strongly alluded to the agency’s suspected role in providing a safe haven to the 9/11 mastermind.
“After the death of Osama bin Laden, Pakistan should be given an opportunity to explain its position vis-a-vis terrorism,” he said.
India, for long, has maintained that the sale of weapons by the West to Pakistan in the name of terrorism has instead been used by latter to build its own military arsenal rather than the actual purpose of the sale.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy during his state visit to India last year had called upon Pakistan to fight terrorism more determinedly.
There is a reason behind the hard line against Pakistan on the issue. French companies have had remarkable success in winning key defence contracts in India, including being short-listed for the $11-billion Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender, often described as the al-Yamamah – the famed arms race to supply the Saudi Kingdom in the 1980s – of the modern era.
Further, India’s efforts to build up its submarine fleet, with Project 75 and 75I – to build six Scorpene submarines, will also see French defence companies playing an integral role.
The $2.4-billion Mirage-2000 upgrade is also expected to be announced shortly. Last week ET had reported that the Cabinet Committee on Security, the apex body which is responsible for large defence procurements, had already given its approval for the contract. French defence giants Dassault Aviation, Thales and MBDA will be the lead contractors on the project.
“The France-Pakistan relationship is largely based on geo-political terms. France, which is one of the most multi-cultural societies in Europe, has to take into consideration global terrorism issues. But there has been major reorientation in its foreign policy towards Pakistan,” Deba Ranjan Mohanty, senior fellow with the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, said.
Paris has been keen to establish closer defence and strategic ties with New Delhi, and by positioning itself as a more natural ally of India, it provides an interesting bulwark to the growing proximity between South Block and Pentagon .
“As most bilateral relationships, this is also a product of politics and economics. There is a massive commercial and strategic angle. India is not only a huge market, it is also seen as the only stable force in a very volatile region,” Mohanty said.
Mr Longuet’s visit comes also at a time when India is looking to finalise the lucrative $11-billion fighter jet deal for the Indian Air Force . French aerospace giant, Dassault Aviation is one of the contenders, through its offering, Rafale.
“We have one single speaking partner (Dassault) instead of four partners (European firms from Italy, Germany, Spain and UK). Mr Longuet said, taking an expected swipe at rival short-listed candidate, the pan-European consortium built, Eurofighter Typhoon.
The MMRCA tender is considered the most high-profile military aviation contracts in recent times, and had some of the world’s largest defence vendors vying for it, including Lockheed Martin , Boeing and Saab .
The French minister also said that a decision on the IAF’s $2.4-billion Mirage-2000 fleet upgrade was also eagerly awaited.
“We are in the final stages of the upgrade agreement. It is up to the Indian political establishment to take a decision. We are confident that it will happen soon,” he said.
France’s ambassador to India, Jerome Bonnafont also confirmed that price negotiations over the deal had been completed, and a decision was awaited.
Source: Economic Times
