Global General

French-Russian warship deal causes concerns

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-11 09:08

BRUSSELS: The proposed sale of one French Mistral warship to Russia has raised concerns among some allies, NATO's spokesman James Appathurai said on Wednesday.

He said that "Secretary-General (Anders Fogh Rasmussen) doesn't consider Russia as a threat and he hopes Russia doesn't think of NATO as a threat."

"But the anxieties of some allies are of course real and are understandable for historical reasons and for geographical reasons, " he said.

A French defense official announced Monday that France has agreed to sell one advanced warship Mistral to Russia, but was considering other three orders from the same buyer. It would be the first time a NATO nation provides such advanced arms to Russia.

Mistral is one of France's most advanced assault ship which weighs 23,700 tons and can carry 16 helicopters besides other weapons and troops. The ship, the second largest in the French fleet, costs between 547 million and US$684 million.

Russia is looking for the vessels to promote efficient navy action in the Black Sea, which already aroused intensive concerns among its neighbors, such as Georgia and Lithuania.

Although French Prime Minister Francois Fillon asserted the sale would be "with precautions" and France was committed to maintaining peace between Georgia and Russia, some US senators still opposed the sale in late December when only one Mistral was concerned, saying the deal disturbed NATO allies and Russian neighbors.