France Ready To Transfer Technology For Fighter Planes, Submarine To Brazil
France is ready to transfer technology to Brazil so that an attack submarine, helicopters and a fighter plane — notably the French Rafale — can be built there, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday.

Sarkozy met with his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in Saint-Georges de Oyapock, on the French border with Brazil on the second and last day of his trip to French Guiana. The Brazilian leader crossed a river for the meeting.

In a joint declaration, the leaders agreed to the construction starting this year of a bridge across the Oyapock River, a largely symbolic gesture for the two nations but aimed at developing economic exchanges. It is to be opened in 2010.

Sarkozy also said France was willing to transfer technology to allow a French attack submarine and fighter planes to be built in Brazil, but he stopped short of any nuclear technology transfer.

"There are no taboos. Brazil is a great democratic power thinking about the conditions of its security. That is its absolute right," the French leader said.

"I said to the Brazilian president that we were ready for the Scorpene submarine to be built in Brazil, that on the question of combat aircraft like helicopters and fighter planes — I'm thinking of the Rafale — to be built in Brazil," the French president said.

The Scorpene class submarine is a conventional attack submarine, but Brazilian officials have said they want the diesel-powered sub to serve as a model for the development of a Brazilian nuclear submarine that would be the first in Latin America.

The Rafale, used by the French Navy and French Air Force, has been a difficult sell, with its first potential foreign sale — 14 to Libya — in negotiations.

Sarkozy said he did not want transfers to be limited to the military domain.

"Our ambition is larger," Sarkozy said. "We want to act together, reflect together, build together." France and Brazil want to work together "in the service of peace."

However, in the nuclear field, the joint declaration noted "the strong potential for cooperation" between the two nations, but did not elaborate.

Brazil says its nuclear intentions are for peaceful purposes, and Brazilian officials have said a nuclear submarine could be used to defend recently discovered large offshore petroleum fields that could turn Latin America's largest nation into a significant oil and natural gas exporter.

The two leaders also briefly discussed the case of French-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt, held hostage by Colombia's FARC guerrillas since 2002. Silva said he was prepared "to participate in any effort so that a humanitarian act could free all the hostages."

Brazil has offered its territory as neutral ground for negotiations to free the hostages, but no negotiations have been scheduled to take place in the nation.