France risks losing Rafale contract with India over Mistral row??

The unnecessary row over Mistral ship, kicked up by France, is now entering tantalizing phase. Either France delivers the ships or risks losing its international reputation and lots of money in punitive damages along with jobs.

Mistral is an amphibious assault ship, also known as Helicopter carrier Ship. The ship is capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing craft, 70 armored vehicles and 450 troops. In addition, the ship is also equipped with field hospital. Three ships are in the service of French military and form a part of NATO's rapid reaction force. 

The deal was signed in 2010 by then Russian President Dimitry Medvedev and President Sarkozy of France. The deal was for two ships to be built in France and three more to be built in Russia. The ships were supposed to be delivered by October 2014.

But then came the chaotic events in Ukraine, the responsibility for which rests solely with US and its allies in EU. By citing the sanctions imposed on Russia by US and EU, France refused to deliver the ship by October 2014.

Russia has already threatened lawsuit and stands to gain $3 billion in fines and the return of the items used in building of the ship. Which means the ship will have to be torn apart. What a mess! But solely of Hollande's doing. 

  Mistral

Russian foreign minister Lavrov was spot on. 

Lavrov: Controversy Around Mistral Deal Is France's Responsibility SOCHI, November 26 (Sputnik) — France is responsible for the controversy around the delivery of two Mistral-class amphibious assault ships to the Russian navy, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday. French President Francois Hollande announced on Tuesday the suspension of a $1.6 billion deal with Russia in light of Moscow's alleged role in the Ukrainian conflict. "I don't want to comment on that. These are France's problems, not ours," Lavrov told reporters in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi. "We are protected by contract. If France fails to meet its contractual obligations, the litigation process will not take long, I think," Lavrov said. ….............

It seems Russians are trying to knock some sense into President Hollande's head. They are trying to impress upon him not to damage long-standing Russian-French relations for the sake of the diktats of a hegemon in decline. They seem to be trying to make him understand not to damage his country's economy as well as employment situation, which is already terrible. But whether President Hollande develops any rational sense is another matter.

Kremlin Threatens to Sue France Over Possible Mistral Contract Breach SOCHI, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will sue France if Paris refuses to honor a contract on construction of two Mistral-class helicopter carriers for the Russian Navy, Kremlin Chief of Staff Sergei Ivanov said Thursday. "We will file a lawsuit and demand compensation [if the contract is not fulfilled], as it's commonly done in a civilized world," Ivanov told reporters. "It's up to Paris to decide whether to honor the contract or not," he said. "We share long-running history of Russian-French relations, and we would not want to see these relations being sacrificed for the sake of fleeting [political] trends, Ivanov added. …...... (The emphasis supplied)

But every action has unintended consequences. And, the effects of Mistral row seem to have seeped into India's deal with France for 126 Rafale fighters worth $20 billion.

Consider thisreport.

Mistral row: France risks losing Rafale contract in India ….. France risks losing a contract to supply 126 fighter jets to India due to its refusal to deliver Mistral-class ships to Russia, a leading French analyst told the Delovoi Peterburg website. French officials said this week that they will not deliver the first Mistral-class amphibious warship that Russia had ordered as part of a $1.7 billion agreement for weapons sale. The biggest repercussion would be a loss of reputation for France as a reliable supplier, Arnaud Dubien, a Russia research associate at the Institut de relations Internationales et Strategiques said. “Officials from the French Ministry of Defence, in private conversations acknowledge that if they fail to deliver the Mistral to Russia, then France will lose its contract to supply 126 fighter jets to India,” Dubien said. …...... A source in the Indian Defence Ministry said that India was “watching the developments closely.” The source added it was too early to say if this would factor into the government’s decision to sign a contract. “When such a large amount of money is paid and then a supplier uses geopolitics to delay or suspend deliveries, it does raise eyebrows,” the source, who was not authorised to talk to the media, said. The Indian Ministry of Defense could not be immediately reached for official comment. …......

Whether such a plan is afoot in the Indian Defense Ministry, we don't know. But according to above report, it seems that Mistral row is forcing Indian government to have second thoughts about the whole Rafale deal.

                                                               Rafale Jet

Update:

Another high ranking source in Indian Defense Ministry has come forward and told Sputnik news contradicting earlier reports about India threatening to cancel Rafale deal over Mistral row.

India Denies Reports That it Will Cancel French Rafale Jet Deal … NEW DELHI, November 27 (Sputnik) — India is not planning to cancel the deal on purchasing French Rafale jets despite earlier media reports that it would do so if France refuses to deliver Mistral helicopter carriers to Russia, a high-ranking source in Indian Defense Ministry told Sputnik Thursday. …. According to earlier media reports, India warned in September it would cancel the $20-$22 billion contract signed with French Dassault Aviation company on the supply of126 Rafale fighter jets if Paris refuses to fulfill its obligations under the Mistral contract. …....

Whatever the report about the Rafale deal, France's reputation as “trustworthy” supplier surely seems to have taken a hit. And the events after November 30^th, if it refuses to supply Mistral ships to Russia, would certainly cement it.

Charles de Gaulle must be squirming in his grave.

 

 

Is NATO itching for war or just playing game of chicken?

Let's take a quick look at the some of the headlines that have appeared in the western media.

·  According to CNN, NATO jets scrambled more than 400 times this year to intercept Russian fighters.

·  NATO to hold largest ever cyber war games

·  NATO chief reassures allieson Baltic tours

·  Russian war games scaredthe hell out of NATO

·  And many more ..............

The western media is exploding with articles that blame Russia by obfuscating truth, creating alternative reality by turning truth on its head. Why NATO is so hell bent on demonizing and taking on Russia will be the topic of future article but for the time being, consider the following article which appeared on volatairenet. (For full article, please on the link.)

Which makes explicitly clear what kind of military NATO is facing and why President Obama has ruled out lethal military aid or confrontration – although covert military aid through proxies is continuing.

What frightened the USS Donald Cook so much in the Black Sea? Voltaire Network | 8 November 2014 ….......   The State Department acknowledged that the crew of the destroyer USS Donald Cook has been gravely demoralized ever since their vessel was flown over in the Black Sea by a Russian Sukhoi-24 (Su-24) fighter jet which carried neither bombs nor missiles but only an electronic warfare device. This video shows the USS Donald Cook sailing into the Black Sea to position itself near Russia’s territorial waters. On 10 April 2014, the USS Donald Cook entered the waters of the Black Sea and on 12 April a Russian Su-24 tactical bomber flew over the vessel triggering an incident that, according to several media reports, completely demoralized its crew, so much so that the Pentagon issued a protest. The USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) is a 4th generation guided missile destroyer whose key weapons are Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, and capable of carrying nuclear explosives. This ship carries 56 Tomahawk missiles in standard mode, and 96 missiles in attack mode. The US destroyer is equipped with the most recent Aegis Combat System. It is an integrated naval weapons systems which can link together the missile defense systems of all vessels embedded within the same network, so as to ensure the detection, tracking and destruction of hundreds of targets at the same time. In addition, the USS Donald Cook is equipped with 4 large radars, whose power is comparable to that of several stations. For protection, it carries more than fifty anti-aircraft missiles of various types. Meanwhile, the Russian Su-24 that buzzed the USS Donald Cook carried neither bombs nor missiles but only a basket mounted under the fuselage, which, according to the Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, contained a Russian electronic warfare device called Khibiny. As the Russian jet approached the US vessel, the electronic device disabled all radars, control circuits, systems, information transmission, etc. on board the US destroyer. In other words, the all-powerful Aegis system, now hooked up - or about to be - with the defense systems installed on NATO’s most modern ships was shut down, as turning off the TV set with the remote control. The Russian Su-24 then simulated a missile attack against the USS Donald Cook, which was left literally deaf and blind. As if carrying out a training exercise, the Russian aircraft - unarmed - repeated the same maneuver 12 times before flying away. After that, the 4th generation destroyer immediately set sail towards a port in Romania. Since that incident, which the Atlanticist media have carefully covered up despite the widespread reactions sparked among defense industry experts, no US ship has ever approached Russian territorial waters again. According to some specialized media, 27 sailors from the USS Donald Cook requested to be relieved from active service.

The incident was so serious that Pentagon launched a formal protest with Moscow.

Pentagon Protests Russian Jet Buzzing Antimissile Ship in Black Sea April 15, 2014 ….............   The Pentagon on Monday criticized a Russian jet's repeated buzzing of a U.S. antimissile ship sailing in international waters in the Black Sea. The action happened on Sunday and involved a nuclear-capable -- but unarmed -- Su-24 fighter aircraft that made a total of 12 flying passes close to the Aegis-equipped USS Donald Cook while it conducted patrol operations in the western Black Sea, the Defense Department told reporters. "The aircraft did not respond to multiple queries and warnings from Donald Cook, and the event ended without incident after approximately 90 minutes," department spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren was quoted as saying in a Pentagon press story. "This provocative and unprofessional Russian action is inconsistent with international protocols and previous agreements on the professional interaction between our militaries." A second Su-24 accompanied the first Russian fighter jet but did not make any passes, Warren said. …..............

Which makes this article that appeared in RIA NOVOSTI  (now SputnikNews) in August 2008 quite interesting.

Russia 'could destroy NATO ships in Black Sea within 20 minutes' ….... MOSCOW, August 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Black Sea Fleet is capable of destroying NATO's naval strike group currently deployed in the sea within 20 minutes, a former fleet commander said on Friday. ….... "Despite the apparent strength, the NATO naval group in the Black Sea is not battle-worthy," Admiral Eduard Baltin said. "If necessary, a single missile salvo from the Moskva missile cruiser and two or three missile boats would be enough to annihilate the entire group." "Within 20 minutes the waters would be clear," he said, stressing that despite major reductions, the Black Sea Fleet  still has a formidable missile arsenal. However, Baltin said the chances of a military confrontation between NATO and Russia in the Black Sea are negligible. "We will not strike first, and they do not look like people with suicidal tendencies," he said. ….....

No wonder EU and US have ruled out any military intervention on behalf of Ukraine. All the posturing and daily beating of drum of Russian intervention in Ukraine – though unproven - seem to be nothing but hot air. 

Even though NATO is hell bent on playing the game of chicken with Russia to test Russia's responses to their moves, they are not that stupid or suicidal to start World War III. But with the expansionist view and a desire to preserve the choke-hold of the Anglo-US financial system - with dollar as world reserve currency - on the world, you never know.

The incessant needling of the Russian bear is bound to have an angry reaction. And, if that happens, humanity is at stake.