Visiting French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius sounded upbeat on Monday about clinching the multi-billion dollar Rafale jet contract as cash-strapped Paris mounted a fresh effort to persuade New Delhi to unblock stalled deals.
“The discussion is developing in [a] very positive way and...we are very confident about the final outcome,” said Mr. Fabius, who arrived in the capital on Sunday. He is expected to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.
Defence sources said Mr. Fabius’ optimism on the Rafale project appeared premised on the “genuine progress” that had already been achieved during the negotiations. Out of the four committees that have been established, including those related to work-sharing with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and transfer of technology, three have made a positive recommendation about the Rafale’s induction. The recommendations of the fourth committee on pricing were expect to drive the government’s decision on the $15-17 billion deal. The sources pointed out that the costs are likely to be spread over 10 years, making the deal more affordable.
Analysts pointed out that the transfer of technology element of the Rafale project would be crucial. “We should learn from our experience of the Mirage 2000 planes where we had to incur a costly upgrade because technology had not been transferred in critical fields,” an official said.
Mr. Fabius underscored that the Rafale proposal goes beyond establishing a buyer-seller relationship, for it would empower India with advanced technology.
