After years of delicate negotiations, nearly thwarted by bribery allegations, Britain and Saudi Arabia announced yesterday they had signed a deal for the sale of 72 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft for GB pound 4.43bn.
The terms of the contract – called Salam, Arabic for peace – and the total costs involved are confidential, the Ministry of Defence insisted. However, officials made it clear the sum is likely to be much higher than the GB pound 4.43bn published figure, which relates only to the cost of the planes, not to upkeep, spares and training.
– The Guardian
US officials are investigating a shootout in Baghdad involving the US security firm Blackwater in which eight people were killed and at least 13 wounded, the state department has said.
The incident, which US government fears could inflame anger among Iraqi civilians, is regarded as so serious that secretary of state Condoleezza Rice telephoned Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
– The Telegraph
The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, apologised to the Iraqi government yesterday in an attempt to prevent the expulsion of all employees of the security firm Blackwater USA.
The ministry of interior yesterday took the decision to expel Blackwater after eight Iraqi civilians were killed and 13 wounded in Baghdad when shots were fired from a US state department convoy on Sunday.
– The Guardian
