PARIS (AFP) — France published details Wednesday of a defence accord struck with Libya following the release of the Bulgarian medics covering the sale of military hardware and the training of Libyan special forces.
Struck on July 25, the day after the release of the six medics convicted of infecting Libyan children with the AIDS virus, the accord was closely followed by the announcement of military contracts with European defence firm EADS.
President Nicolas Sarkozy is facing a parliamentary inquiry, to be officially launched on Thursday, to determine whether Paris traded arms and nuclear cooperation with Tripoli in exchange for the medics' release.
Details of the military cooperation accord, published Wednesday in the government's official gazette, were leaked in the French press in August.
Signed by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and his Libyan counterpart Abdelrahman Shalgam, the 11-point accord came into force on September 25 for an unlimited time period.
Following the lifting of a European arms embargo in 2004, the accord raises the possibility of selling Libya military vehicles of all types, ships, air defence and space systems as well as border and port surveillance equipment.
It provides for the exchange of information and expertise, as well as the "acquisition of various defence equipments and systems" and the "protection of common investments in the area of defence".
It also mentions the "possibility of carrying out joint military manoeuvres" and the "training of special military units, special forces and border patrol units".
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
