Egypt could sign agreement with France for 12 new Rafale jets in weeks

Egypt could sign agreement with France for 12 new Rafale jets in weeks: Egypt could sign an agreement with France for the purchase of 12 new Rafale fighter jets in a few weeks’ time, sources close to the matter told La Tribune on Thursday. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian reportedly finalized the transaction with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi at the Sharm El Sheikh World Youth Forum last week. Negotiations for the agreement had reportedly started last year but stalled over financing issues, only to start again during El Sisi’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris last month. Sources tell the newspaper that Macron intervened on behalf of the Egyptian government, asking France’s Economy and Finance Ministry to go easier on the financing terms. The agreement could also include two new Gowind corvettes from Dassault. Egypt and France had signed a EUR 5.2 bn agreement in 2015 for 24 Rafale jets, a Fremm naval frigate, and MBDA air-to-air missiles.