Libya, France sign Airbus deals, nuclear agreement

PARIS - Libya and France signed contracts for the purchase of 21 Airbus aircraft on Monday during the visit of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Afriqiyah Airlines signed a contract for six A350 aircraft, and Libyan Airlines signed deals for four A330, seven A320 and four A350 aircraft, an official for French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said.

Airbus, which is a unit of EADS, confirmed the orders were the finalisation of a memorandum of understanding signed at the Paris Air Show in June. At the time, the Libyan Airlines deal alone was estimated worth some $2 billion at list prices.

Libya and France also prepared a cooperation agreement on the civilian use of nuclear energy and the supply of "one or several" nuclear reactors to desalinate sea water.

Several contracts had also been signed with French companies Vinci and Veolia Water, an official at Sarkozy's office said, giving no further details.

Earlier in the day, Sarkozy said he would sign contracts with Libya worth around 10 billion euros.

Asked about this sum, Sarkozy's diplomatic adviser Jean-David Levitte told reporters: "They're there." He declined any further comment.