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Qatar's defence ministry is set to purchase
24 of the advanced jets from BAE Systems
Sunday 17 September 2017 11:42 UTC
Last update:
Sunday 17 September 2017 13:25 UTC
The British government and defence giant BAE Systems have
agreed a major new deal to supply Qatar with Eurofighter Typhoon jets, despite
fears of regional instability.
British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon signed a letter
of intent with Qatar on Sunday that will see BAE Systems provide 24 Typhoon
jets and support capabilities worth billions of dollars.
The move has shocked observers as it comes only three
months after UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called on Qatar to do more to clamp down on the
funding of militant groups.
The wealthy Gulf state is at the heart of a regional
dispute over the funding of terrorism, and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and
Egypt have since June imposed sanctions on Qatar, accusing it of financing extremist
groups and allying with Iran, arch-foe of the Gulf Arab states - allegations
Doha denies.
Speaking in Qatar on Sunday, where he met with Qatari
defence minister Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Attiyad, Fallon said he hoped the deal would "enhance
security within the region".
"This will be the first major defence contract with
Qatar, one of the UK's strategic partners," said Fallon. "This is an
important moment in our defence relationship and the basis for even closer
defence co-operation between our two countries. We also hope that this will
help enhance security within the region across all Gulf allies."
Human rights groups are likely to be dismayed by the
move, which comes as the UK's $16bn defence industry is facing intense scrutiny over exports to Saudi Arabia and
other states accused of major human rights violations.
The UK has exported more than $6bn in arms to authoritarian states since
the summer's general election, with a huge increase in arms exports to Saudi
Arabia and exports worth $160m to Qatar, where political opposition is banned
and where the hereditary emir – currently Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al
Thani - holds all executive and legislative power.
The strategic letter of intent signed by Fallon agrees to
lay the "groundwork for Qatar's intention towards procuring 24 advanced
Eurofighter Typhoon's and supporting capabilities," according to a
statement released by the Qatar Armed Forces.
It said that Qatar would use the aircraft to
"advance its ongoing efforts in combating terrorism and violent extremism
in the region".
The deal comes after Middle East Eye revealed the UK has
been accused of fanning the flamesof the Gulf crisis by arming both sides
of the dispute. The accusations were made after it emerged that Qatar and Saudi
Arabia and its allies in a list of countries identified by officials as
“priority markets” for the UK's defence industry.
Qatar now joins Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia as
operators of the advanced Typhoon jet in the Middle East. The jet has been
deployed by the British Royal Air Force over Iraq and Syria in recent years and
was also deployed during the 2011 intervention in Libya. Saudi Arabia operates
at least 72 of the jets, which have been used over Yemen amid allegations they
have contributed to mass civilian casualties.
BAE Systems likely overcame a rival bid from French firm
Rafale, which has already supplied jets to Egypt and Qatar in a deal set to be
worth billions of dollars. Last year Kuwait signed a deal worth more than $9bn
when it purchased 28 Typhoon jets. A defence source said the Qatar purchase
would be "at a similar level, perhaps a little less".
Andrew Smith, a spokesperson for Campaign Against Arms
Trade, told MEE that the decision and its timing three months after Johnson's
intervention was "staggering".
He said: "Despite the ongoing Gulf crisis, this is a
clear sign of political and military support for a brutal regime that even its
neighbouring states accuse of willingly ignoring violent groups."
The UK has called for a de-escalation of tensions in the
region since the Gulf crisis erupted in June, but that can't be done at the
"same time as pushing weapons to both sides of the political
conflict," he added.
The deal is a major victory for BAE Systems, which
produces the jets. It took less than 14 years for the firm and its European
partners to deliver the first 500 Typhoon jets, but orders have dwindled in
recent years and the production rate at the firm's factory in Preston, England
has reportedly had to be slowed.
The order will also be seen as a major win for a minister
who has been keen to push arms exports as a plank of Britain's post-Brexit
economic strategy.
The Typhoon fighter programme has supported an estimated
8,600 jobs in the UK, with an estimated further 1,500 jobs dependent on export
opportunities, according to BAE Systems.
Related post:
Eurofighter Typhoon: Details
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