Manama: A Kuwaiti lawmaker has linked his parliamentary bloc's approval of a deal with French Rafale fighters with their performance in efforts to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Militant MPs have repeatedly warned the Kuwaiti government against purchasing the French-made Rafale warplanes, saying technical reports have recommended the rejection of the deal.
"We warn the government against squandering public funds on suspicious deals," the Reform and Development Bloc said in 2010.
"Signing the purchase agreement means we will grill whoever is responsible for authorising the deal."
However, MP Waleed Al Tabtabai on Monday said that they would endorse the purchase if the fighters proved their capability against Gaddafi.
"The Rafale purchase deal should include competence and honesty. If the fighter proves its technical worth, we will just focus on the costs and on the transparency of the deal," Al Tabtaba said, quoted by Al Aan portal.
The Rafale, a France-developed twin-jet multirole warplane, is capable of carrying out a wide range of short and long-range missions.
French military sources say that several French Rafale fighters have been involved in missions in Libya over the weekend.
