Treasury circles confirmed here tonight that the Paris talks over reimbursement to Israel for 50 embargoed Mirage V jet fighters are drawing to a conclusion. According to the sources, France will pay Israel about $75 million to cover the sum Israel originally paid for the aircraft plus four percent interest per annum. The Mirages were embargoed by the late President Charles De Gaulle on the eve of the 1967 Six-Day War.
Israel’s Accountant General, Hami Stessel, is presently in Paris participating in the talks, Treasury circles said. France’s payment will be entirely in French francs and will not take into account the devaluations and revaluations of French currency that occurred in the interim. The Mirages, once the backbone of Israel’s Air Force, have since become obsolete.
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