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France's Dassault sees Rafale accord with India in 4 weeks

A French army Rafale jet fighter on a base in The Gulf

France's Dassault Aviation hailed Monday the agreement reached between France and India for the long-delayed sale of 36 fighter jets, saying a "full accord" could be finalised within four weeks. The manufacturer "actively supports the French authorities in finalising a full accord within four weeks," it said in a statement. India and France have signed an agreement on the deal, first announced in 2012, but have yet to settle financial issues, the leaders of both countries said Monday. French President Francois Hollande said after talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the second day of an official visit to India that the issues would be resolved in "the coming days". A senior French official told reporters on Sunday the two sides were still haggling over the price, which experts say could reach around five billion euros ($5.6 billion). Modi announced the order during a visit to France in April 2015. India entered exclusive negotiations on buying 126 Rafale fighters in 2012, but the number of planes was scaled back in tortuous negotiations over cost and assembly of the planes in India.