French arms sales double in ME

PARIS: France’s weapons sales to the Middle East doubled in 2017, a government report showed, as President Emmanuel Macron defied pressure from lawmakers and rights groups to curb arms flows to a region mired in conflict.

France is among the world’s leading arms exporters, its sales surging in recent years on the back of its first lucrative overseas contracts for Rafale fighter jets, notably to India and Qatar, as well as a multi-billion submarine deal with Australia.

Paris has sought to increase its diplomatic weight in the Middle East through the sale of naval vessels, tanks, artillery and munitions to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The government’s annual report on weapons sales, due to be released on Wednesday, shows that France’s total arms sales halved to 7 billion euros in 2017, in line with previous years where no major contracts, such as for the Dassault-made Rafale, were recorded.

However, about 60 percent of sales went to the Middle East, with arms exports to the region worth 3.92 billion euros compared to 1.94 billion euros a year earlier. Sales to Saudi Arabia fell slightly, while deals to the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar soared.

France’s biggest defence firms, including Dassault and Thales, have major contracts with the Gulf. "It is not for France to conclude piecemeal transactions depending on market opportunities. The goal is to create a strong link with the importing states," the report said.