France, Russia enter talks on sale of warships

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has met with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy for negotiations over the sale of four French warships to Moscow.

The deal for the Mistral-class amphibious assault ships has shaped up to be the largest arms sale from a NATO member to Russia so far.

President Medvedev, who arrived in Paris on Monday, said the sale would amount to “a symbol of trust” between the two nations and would provide Russia a chance to obtain military equipment that it requires.

The Russian leader was referring to his country’s weak navy, which has suffered very much from a lack of funding and equipment since the Cold War.

The sale of the Mistral-class amphibious assault ships, which can carry helicopters, tanks, and up to 750 soldiers, has raised concerns among certain NATO allies, including the United States, and the former Soviet republic of Georgia, with high-ranking officials describing France’s stance as wrong-headed.

Meanwhile, the two leaders also discussed a range of other issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.

Israel, the US, and some Western countries accuse Iran of seeking to build a nuclear weapon. However, Iranian officials have repeatedly rejected the claim, saying that nuclear weapons have no place in the Islamic Republic’s defensive doctrine.

Last month, Russia, France, and the US sent a joint letter to the UN nuclear watchdog, suggesting that Iran shut down its Tehran research reactor and negotiate a deal with the West to obtain medical radioisotopes from the world market instead.

Washington has been leading efforts to push Iran to accept a deal that calls for Tehran to send the bulk of its low-enriched uranium abroad for further processing for its research reactor. The facility runs on 20 percent-enriched uranium and produces medical radioisotopes for cancer patients.

Iran has sought “concrete” assurances that the fuel would eventually be delivered. However, the West has rejected Iran’s proposals.

During the meeting at the Elysee Palace, President Medvedev once again called for more negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program but added that if the talks fell through, the Kremlin would be ready to vote to impose sanctions on Iran.

“These sanctions would have to be carefully considered and intelligent. They would not be aimed against the civilian population,” the Russian president said.