Moscow  - Russia will deliver 10 MiG-29 fighter jets to Lebanon as a gift, the head of the federal military and technical cooperation service said Wednesday.

Mikhail Dmitriyev called the donation a means of "military and technical assistance provided for in the (Russian) budget."

The jets are to be fully outfitted to "export standards" before being shipped, he said.

The export price tag on the Soviet-designed MiG-29, still seen as one of Russia's best war planes, is about 30 million dollars, industry experts said.

"We view the Lebanese army as a basic guarantor of political stability in the country and are ready to supply it with arms," Dmitriyev was quoted by news agency Interfax as saying.

He also said Moscow was in talks with Beirut over the purchase of military hardware and training for its armed forces.

The MiG-29 deal came after Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr met with his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov in Moscow on Tuesday.

Serdyukov said Tuesday that Moscow was reviewing a "shopping list" detailing the Lebanese armed forces' needs.

The delivery the MiG-29s would likely form the core of a new airforce for Lebanon, whose current five fighter jets and 16 helicopters supplied by the United States in the
1950s and 60s are said by experts to be barely flight-worthy.

Russia has long sought to expand its influence in the Middle East, and as a member of the Quartet of Mideast peace negotiators proposed to host a conference in Moscow next year. (dpa)