France, in Reversal, Will Join Project on Europe Warplane
French President Francois Mitterrand said Friday that France had reversed its decision to stay out of a project to build a joint European fighter and would now take part.
Mitterrand, speaking at a press conference after talks with West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, said he had changed his mind as a gesture of his commitment to European cooperation.
“If we want to foster this (cooperation), we must show good will. So I said France is ready to take part in the joint plane project.”
France dropped out of the so-called Eurofighter project in the summer after months of negotiations failed to resolve differences with its partners over what kind of plane to build.
West Germany, Britain and Italy decided to go ahead and Spain later joined them.
Mitterrand said he expected France’s share in the plane’s development to be only about 10% and possibly as low as only 5%.
While France wants a light and cheap ground attack aircraft, its European partners wanted a heavy and more sophisticated air combat model.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
