- France and Israel are expected to announce the signing
of the biggest weapons deal between the two countries since the French
embargo on weapons sales to Israel prior to the Six-Day War.
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- The $150 million-$200 million deal, to be signed during
the Eurosatory 2004 international exhibition for land and land-air defense
that opens Monday at Villepinte, north of Paris, will formally commission
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) to sell expertise for the manufacture
of drones for France's major defense industries, combat aircraft manufacturer
Dassault Aviation and the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company
(EADS).
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- Defense Ministry director-general Amos Yaron will participate
in the ceremony marking the opening of the Israeli pavilion at the exhibition,
along with the Israeli ambassador to France, Nissim Zvilli. French Defense
Minister Michele Alliot-Marie is due to visit the Israeli pavilion.
-
- According to the contract, IAI will supply the expertise
to manufacture the Eagle 1 drone, whose development is based on the strategic
drone now in the service of the Israel Defense Forces. Three years ago,
IAI sold this type of drone to the French army as part of cooperation with
EADS. Now, with the encouragement of the French Defense Ministry, a consortium
of French industries is to be established to manufacture drones in France
- for, among other purposes, export to other countries.
-
- Israeli security sources emphasize that in contrast to
relations with the French Foreign Ministry, relations between the defense
establishments of the two countries have been on the upswing since the
mid-1990s.
-
- A delegation of the IDF's technology and logistics wing,
headed by Brigadier General Yaakov Nakash, visited France this week to
meet with senior officers in the technology and logistics wing of the French
army, to discuss options for various cooperative ventures.
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- http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/438887.html
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