US to sell 36 F-15 warplanes to Qatar

WASHINGTON, 28 Dec. - (ANA) - The Pentagon says Boeing has been allowed to manufacture as many as 36 F-15 warplanes for Qatar which is locked in a bitter confrontation with a Saudi-led group of Arab states.

The permit covers half of the 72 F-15s which Qatar will buy from the United States as part of an agreement signed between the two sides in June.

The entire agreement is worth $12 billion and the Persian Gulf state is scheduled to start receiving the aircraft at the end of 2022.

"This contract provides for the foreign military sales requirement to procure 36 new F-15QA aircraft for the Qatar Emiri Air Force," the US Department of Defense said in a statement.

Qatari Minister of Defense Khalid Al Attiyah said the deal underscored the "longstanding commitment of the state of Qatar in jointly working with our friends and allies in the United States in advancing our military cooperation for closer strategic collaboration in our fight to counter violent extremism and promote peace and stability in our region and beyond."

Earlier this month, Qatar said it would buy 24 Typhoon fighter jets worth $8 billion from the United Kingdom.

The deals come amid a blockade by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates against Qatar, which has gone on for more than six months.

The quartet has accused Qatar of supporting "terrorism" and meddling in their affairs -- allegations strongly denied by Doha, which sees the campaign as an attack on its sovereignty.

The boycotters are all Washington's strong regional allies, especially Saudi Arabia which the US regards its paramount Arab partner.

The dispute among some of the world's top energy producers flared up a few days after Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia on his first overseas trip as president and signed a $110-billion arms deal with the kingdom.

During the visit, Riyadh hosted a summit to showcase close ties between the White House and its Arab allies but Trump was also reportedly told that Qatar had incurred Saudi Arabia's displeasure.

Trump initially sided with the Saudi-led bloc but later had a change of heart. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates reportedly considered military action in the early stages of their ongoing dispute with Qatar before Trump called leaders of both countries and warned them to back off.  - (ANA) -

AB/ANA/ 28 December 2017 - - -