Soon: Iraqi delegation in Paris over military deal

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A delegation headed by the Iraqi Air Force chief is expected to arrive in France in two weeks to negotiate a military equipment deal, The Seattle Times said in a report. Quoting a spokesperson for the Iraqi embassy in France, Jawad Bashara, the report said that the delegation is expected to “finalize a contract for 30 surveillance and rescue helicopters, with an option to buy 20 more.” “It’s not about ‘replacing the Americans, or rejecting them,'” Bashara said. “‘Iraq needs to renew its military capacity and needs to have several arms suppliers, not just one state’,” he added. “This means that France, a major global arms vendor and once a key supplier to ex-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, is maneuvering back into a lucrative military market that the United States has dominated since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The officials say French merchandise now on offer includes helicopters and spare parts for weaponry that France sold Iraq back in the 1980s,” the newspaper said. SS (P) 1