Paris (dpa) - Qatar and France signed deals worth 12 billion euros (14.1 billion US dollars), French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday at a press conference in Doha with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani."We have also signed a number of commercial contracts which reflect the density of our economic ties," Macron said, citing contracts relating to defence, armaments, the operation and maintenance of a metro and tramway, and soil pollution treatment."In total what was signed today adds up to about 12 billion euros, reflecting the intensity of this relationship," he added.French newspaper Le Monde reported that Qatar was taking up an existing option to buy 12 French Rafale fighter jets and had confirmed a 2011 order for 50 Airbus jets.French railway operator SNCF and Paris public transport company RATP also won a 3-billion-euro contract to operate and maintain a new metro and tramway system for Doha and the new city of Lusail, according to Le Monde.
