ORAC
16th Nov 2011, 13:28
Defense News: UAE Declines France's Rafale Deal (http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=8271432&c=ASI&s=AIR)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The industrial terms in the French effort to sell the Dassault Rafale fighter to the United Arab Emirates were "unworkable," Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, deputy supreme commander of the armed forces, said Nov. 16.
"Thanks to President Sarkozy, France could not have done more diplomatically or politically to secure the Rafale deal," bin Zayed said, according to WAM, the Emirati official news agency. "Regrettably Dassault seem unaware that all the diplomatic and political will in the world cannot overcome uncompetitive and unworkable commercial terms," he said. Dassault had been "at the forefront of our considerations," he added.
Dassault officials were not immediately available for comment.
France has been negotiating to sell 60 Rafales to the United Arab Emirates to replace its fleet of 60 Mirage 2000-9 fighters. The United Arab Emirates has been seen as the best prospect for the first export order for the fighter jet. A Rafale order, however, was seen by the Emirati authorities as a political favor requested by Paris for domestic reasons. "This is not a requirement," a Gulf source familiar with the talks said. "It was pushed as a political purchase."
Emirati authorities are unhappy with what they see as French industry's failure to "understand the political nature" of the deal. That has led deep dissatisfaction in the United Arab Emirates with the entire package, including the terms, specifications and price. "The price is ridiculous," the source said.
The United Arab Emirates has responded by issuing a request for proposal to Britain for the Typhoon, following an Oct. 17 briefing on the combat aircraft built by the Eurofighter consortium. Emirati officials had already requested information for the Boeing F-15 and F-18, as well as the Lockheed Martin F-16
"This is now an open competition," the Gulf source said. "It is going to take months to go through the offers and compare the data."
No deal is expected in the near future.
There was a sense of unease among Emirati officials over the French "mechanism," seen as lacking coordination between the various parts of the offer.
Sarkozy's October appointment of foreign minister Alain Juppé as lead in the Rafale talks was seen by Emirati officials as a sign of distress and belated realization of a need to bring order to the fighter negotiations. French media have reported that Sarkozy had been determined to secure a first export order for the Rafale, widely seen as a flagship of French aeronautical excellence and a much needed foreign revenue earner for the public purse.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The industrial terms in the French effort to sell the Dassault Rafale fighter to the United Arab Emirates were "unworkable," Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, deputy supreme commander of the armed forces, said Nov. 16.
"Thanks to President Sarkozy, France could not have done more diplomatically or politically to secure the Rafale deal," bin Zayed said, according to WAM, the Emirati official news agency. "Regrettably Dassault seem unaware that all the diplomatic and political will in the world cannot overcome uncompetitive and unworkable commercial terms," he said. Dassault had been "at the forefront of our considerations," he added.
Dassault officials were not immediately available for comment.
France has been negotiating to sell 60 Rafales to the United Arab Emirates to replace its fleet of 60 Mirage 2000-9 fighters. The United Arab Emirates has been seen as the best prospect for the first export order for the fighter jet. A Rafale order, however, was seen by the Emirati authorities as a political favor requested by Paris for domestic reasons. "This is not a requirement," a Gulf source familiar with the talks said. "It was pushed as a political purchase."
Emirati authorities are unhappy with what they see as French industry's failure to "understand the political nature" of the deal. That has led deep dissatisfaction in the United Arab Emirates with the entire package, including the terms, specifications and price. "The price is ridiculous," the source said.
The United Arab Emirates has responded by issuing a request for proposal to Britain for the Typhoon, following an Oct. 17 briefing on the combat aircraft built by the Eurofighter consortium. Emirati officials had already requested information for the Boeing F-15 and F-18, as well as the Lockheed Martin F-16
"This is now an open competition," the Gulf source said. "It is going to take months to go through the offers and compare the data."
No deal is expected in the near future.
There was a sense of unease among Emirati officials over the French "mechanism," seen as lacking coordination between the various parts of the offer.
Sarkozy's October appointment of foreign minister Alain Juppé as lead in the Rafale talks was seen by Emirati officials as a sign of distress and belated realization of a need to bring order to the fighter negotiations. French media have reported that Sarkozy had been determined to secure a first export order for the Rafale, widely seen as a flagship of French aeronautical excellence and a much needed foreign revenue earner for the public purse.