Iraq Navy, France and patrol boatsnote

Iraqi PM Nouri Al-Maliki is said to be maintaining efforts to arrange talks with France on plans to buy French-made patrol boats or coastal protection boats for the Iraqi Navy. The following 318-word report sheds light on the subject and tells what about the Iraqi efforts to establish preliminary contacts with France on such plans. [Briefly reproduced in Tactical Weekly (Issue No 20/49 – December 6, 2013)]