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http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDe ... ?ID=445382Iraq makes progress on Czech subsonic jets deal, says Maliki
October 11, 2012
Iraq and the Czech Republic have made progress in talks on the sale of 28 Czech-made L-159 subsonic fighters to Baghdad, their leaders said in Prague Thursday.
"A certain agreement has been reached," but technical details must still be ironed out, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told reporters after meeting his Czech counterpart Petr Necas.
Maliki did not provide further details on the deal, but did say Iraq also had an offer for US-made F-16 fighters.
Necas said the defense ministers of both countries "will now work hard to fine-tune the conditions of the transaction.”
Czech Defense Minister Alexandr Vondra said talks were focused on 24 one-seat fighters and four two-seaters.
"It is premature to give the value of the deal," he told AFP before meeting Iraq's acting Defense Minister Saadun al-Dulaimi.
The L-159 fighters, which Prague has been trying to sell for years, are made by Aero Vodochody, the largest Czech aircraft producer controlled by the Czech-Slovak private equity group Penta.
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