"I am confident. Things are progressing," Sarkozy said when asked about the contract after meeting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit in Washington.

Brasilia has stated its preference to purchase 36 French-made, semi-stealth Rafale jets, but a firm deal has not yet been announced.

Lula is expected to announce his choice in mid-May, having pushed back a decision due in April.

"If it's a decision taken by the president and the government, it's inevitably a political decision," Sarkozy said.

But "it's not just a political criterion. The Rafale is an excellent plane... President Lula and I really have a great bond. I know what he's thinking. There are no surprises on this issue."

The Rafale, made by Dassault, is seen as the frontrunner in a tender also contested by Sweden's Gripen NG by Saab and the F/A-18 Super Hornet manufactured by US giant Boeing.

The deal is estimated to be worth between four and seven billion dollars, depending on details of armaments, maintenance and peripheral industrial involvement. Brazil could also end up buying up to another 100 fighter jets from the supplier over the long term.

Brazil has made technology transfer the main priority in the tender, so it can produce fighter aircraft itself and boost its aviation industry. Lula previously said the Rafale deal would be more advantageous in this respect for Brazil.

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