Sale of military equipment to Kuwait from UK

This file concerns the sale of military equipment, in particular Chieftain tanks, to Kuwait. It contains correspondence relating to:

• A contract for the sale of Chieftain tanks and related equipment to Kuwait
• Confusion around the price of this sale, and the possible effects of this on political relations with Kuwait
• Disagreements arising from a clause of the Ministry of Defence's terms of sale, stipulating that the deal can be cancelled if HMG’s political interests demand
• The provision to the Kuwaiti military of training in the use of Chieftain tanks
• A Kuwaiti request for military ration packs, and HMG’s attempts to source some from Hong Kong which do not contain pork
• The possibility of selling base facilities for repairing Chieftain tanks to Kuwait, and competition for this with France
• A visit to the UK by Kuwaiti Colonel Hamid Haji to discuss sales of military equipment; and the question of allowing the colonel to visit Northern Ireland, where classified military equipment is deployed
• A request from Kuwait for cartridge ejector release units
• Competition for the sale of naval patrol boats
• The British Hovercraft Company’s shift in commercial interest from Kuwait to Iraq, and the potential political implications of this