The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani with French President Francois Hollande in Doha yesterday. They held talks at the Emiri Diwan and witnessed the signing of an agreement.
By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: France has offered to provide military equipment including twin-engine Rafale fighter jets built by Dassault Aviation, President Francois Hollande said yesterday.
“We have always helped Qatar in security,” he told a press conference before ending his two-day visit. France is the top military supplier to Qatar.
“France supplies two-thirds of military equipment to Qatar. The companies which accompanied me have spoken about their products and, yes, in particular about Rafale,” he added.
“Negotiations (to supply equipment) will continue,” Hollande said, without disclosing details about discussions on military equipment. The French delegation comprising five ministers and 46 business delegates, focused on other issues to enhance trust, reciprocity and transparency with Qatar. The countries also announced the launch of a joint fund to invest ¤300m in small and medium French companies.
“There is no balance in trade between Qatar and France. We have signed certain number of agreements. We hope to get a good market for our (French companies) quality products,” said Hollande. “We must see what is best for Qatar and France.”
France has also shown interest in cultural exchange, sharing experiences in sports, developing museums and support to teach French in Qatar. “Sports is a major topic here, we are hosting the Euro Cup, and would share our experiences with Qatar to host a good World Cup,” he said.
Hollande also attended a meeting of Western and Arab countries supporting the Syrian opposition.
He expressed France’s keenness to support the Syrian people and seek a political solution.
“Syria was at the heart of our discussions. We support a political solution. The Peninsula
“Giving aid is very important. I was one of the first to recognise the legitimacy of the Syrian opposition. Our support is also military, but how do we supply weapons? We have to discuss and decide how to do it politically and legitimately,” he added.
He urged mainstream rebels in Syria to “retake” zones that have fallen into the hands of extremist groups.
“The opposition must retake control of these areas and push these groups out,” he said. If extremist groups “benefit from the chaos in future, (Syrian President) Bashar Al Assad will seize this as an excuse to continue his massacres”.
