U.S. may deny Thales export licenses

Reuters obtained a State department email warning Thales that export licenses required by its U.S suppliers may be denied if the company does cooperate in investigating the matter. The State Department has pushed for details on the design of a telecommunications satelite, Spacebus 4000C2, that Thales Alenia Space claims was exempt from U.S. export controls as it was free of U.S. parts. The State Department contends that the satelite contained U.S. parts and was shipped illegally to China. The letter, dated January 31, gave the company 30 days to cooperate or ”license denials” would be considered. Thales Alenia Space has said that a French "blocking" law restricts its ability to cooperate with U.S. investigators. Thales Group senior vice president Edgar Buckley emailed Reuters this week saying TAS is attempting to help the State Department resolve its concerns.