Doha weapons, security expo sales top $75m

A four-day international exhibition of arms and security equipment concluded in Doha yesterday with several participating companies reporting keen interest from Gulf countries for their wares on display.

Deals concluded at the Milipol-Qatar show were "quite satisfactory" topping $75 million so far, Milipol-Qatar 2000 Chairman Col. Mohammed Yousef Al Mana told Gulf News yesterday.

Al Mana did not give the exact amount for the sales but said it "will be known only after a few days as several deals are still under negotiation." The final figure for the last Milipol in Qatar in 1998 was put at $82 million.

"Most governments and official bodies wantingto buy our equipment contact us only after the exhibition is over," a representative of a European company taking part in the show told Gulf News.

But one of the major deals concluded in Milipol 2000, Al Mana said, was between the Boston-based firm, American Science and Engineering (A&SE), and Qatar's Interior Ministry.

An A&SE official, requesting anonymity, said, the $25 million deal included the purchase of vehicle and cargo inspection systems for use at border entry points and airports.

The company, which has started a permanent office in Doha, has also received trade enquiries from countries including Oman, Kuwait and the UAE, the official said. "The emirate of Dubai invited a team from the company to demonstrate its equipment during the exhibition," he said.

Also during the exhibition, Dubai-based ITC International has signed a contract with Qatar's Interior Ministry under which "it will conduct a study to build up a comprehensive national security system."