"French Mirage F1s may be sold to Libya"

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http://www.defensenews.com/article/2012 ... |FRONTPAGE

France Views Libya as Possible Mirage Customer

Feb. 23, 2012 - 06:04PM

PARIS — Libya is seen as a potential buyer of Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jets, a French defense official said.

The French Air Force is gradually replacing its Mirage fleet with the multirole Rafale, so Paris could sell its F1 ground attack aircraft to Tripoli.

French Defense Minister Gérard Longuet was due to visit Libya Feb. 25-26.

Libya bought 38 Mirage F1s in the late 1970s, but the international arms embargo imposed after the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland, led to a freeze in supply of spares.

When Tripoli resumed relations with the West in 2005, France agreed to a contract worth about 100 million euros ($133 million) for 12 Libyan Mirage F1s, with Thales and Safran as equipment suppliers.

There is concern in some circles about continuing instability in Libya, with human rights abuses, fighting between rival militias and the National Transitional Council’s inability to build popular support.