Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed in Washington next month

Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Abu Dhabi's crown prince, will fly to the US in mid-May in response to an invitation from US Vice President Al Gore.

UAE sources ArabicNews.com that Sheikh Khalifa would discuss with the US administration bilateral relations between the US and the UAE's armed forces with development defensive and military equipment.

The sources expected that the talks would deal with a possible UAE purchase of 80 advanced US F-16 military airplanes by the Emirates' air force at a cost of $8 billion.

The sources said the F-16 airplane is a strong competitor to the French Rafal and the European Eurofighter and that Washington is very interested in this sale.