France to decide on aircraft carrier by early 2008

PARIS, July 11 (Reuters) - France will reach a final decision on whether to go ahead with the construction of a second aircraft carrier by early 2008, Defence Minister Herve Morin said today.

France and Britain are working towards building new aircraft carriers together. With Britain looking for new ships in 2012 and 2015 and France wanting one around the same time, the two sides are looking at how to combine their efforts.

In an interview with France Info radio and La Chaine Parlementaire television, Morin said there was no sign Britain was abandoning the project, but he would meet his British counterpart on Saturday and discuss if it was still feasible.

''It will enable us to check that the industrial cooperation we have launched on this programme is still topical,'' he said.

In a separate interview with Valeurs Actuelles magazine, Morin said it would be a concern if the project was stopped.

''It would be an additional worry because this programme of 2.5 billion euros can be reduced by a few hundred million through industrial cooperation with the British,'' he told the magazine.

President Nicolas Sarkozy said during this year's election campaign that he wanted France to have a second aircraft carrier, but his Prime Minister Francois Fillon raised doubts about the project last week.

In a speech to the lower house of parliament, Fillon said a review of defence spending would involve tough choices, such as whether and when France needed a second aircraft carrier.

''We are working towards making this second aircraft carrier,'' Morin said.

''A definitive decision will be taken, based on all the analyses, between the end of this year and the start of next year,'' he added.

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