Kuwait settles dispute with French boat company

Kuwaiti sources in Kuwait confirmed that a settlement has been reached in disputes over Coast Guard patrol boats purchased from the French company Simono and agreed to pay nearly $13 million to exchange the boats for other more advanced boats.

The sources added that Kuwait and France agreed to a $500 million deal for eight patrol boats armed with missile-laubching capabilities after discussing for months methods of solving Kuwaiti complaints concerning 12 Naga boats that were purchased in 1994 at a cost of $400 million francs.

The new boats are faster, bigger and armed with more advanced missiles, which satisfies Kuwaiti complaints.