Saab's fight in Brazil 'not yet over'
Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said Wednesday that Brazil will continue to negotiate with the three companies competing to replace its aging fleet of fighter jets.
| Related news: • Brazil turned down Saab's fighter jet • Saab prepares for 'life after Gripen' |
Brazil's selection of a fighter jet has "not yet finished," Jobim said Wednesday, after France's Rafale had earlier been seen as the winner.
"The selection process of the FX-2 project (to acquire 36 fighters), led by the Air Force, which is not yet over, will continue with negotiations with the three participants; they will be followed up and the proposals potentially reshaped," the minister said in a statement released overnight.
The statement underscored Brazil's preference for France's offer of 36 advanced Rafale fighter jets, noting France's willingness to deliver at competitive prices and its commitment to buy Brazilian cargo planes.
The statement comes 48 hours after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and visiting French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy announced final negotiations were under way for the deal worth more than seven billion dollars.
It would be the first overseas sale of the Rafale, which has competed for the contract with Sweden's Saab Grippen and the F/A-18 Super Hornet made by US aerospace giant Boeing.
Sweden's Saab said last month it was "very optimistic" about its chances of winning a multi-billion-dollar tender.
Jobim's comments seem to clash with those of Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim. Amorim said Monday that "a decision was made to move on into negotiations with one of the suppliers. That same decision was not taken with regard to the other two."
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Last Updated (Wednesday, 09 September 2009 18:13)
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