French Defence minister to visit India, push Rafale deal

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will arrive here Monday to hold talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar in what is seen as a fresh attempt to firm up the faltering multi-billion dollar Rafale deal.
Defence sources said that Drian will be in India as part of an official visit to a few other countries including UAE.
He will hold a fresh round of talks with Parrikar Monday just two months after they met and decided to “fast-track” the contract negotiations for the nearly USD 10-billion deal for Rafale fighter jets.
Sources said the French Minister will focus on firming up the deal ahead of an expected visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to France a couple of months from now.
Parrikar had recently said that he would not comment on the Rafale deal as the Contract Negotiations Committee was discussing it.

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