BERLIN (AP) -- The nations that ordered the troubled Airbus A400M military transporter and the manufacturer will hold new talks Friday about funding for the project, German officials said Wednesday.
Defense Ministry spokesman Christian Dienst said representatives from the seven nations will meet in Berlin. Contractor EADS and plane-making subsidiary Airbus also are expected to attend.
Officials from Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey will discuss the manufacturer's answer to their offer on how to deal with cost overruns on what is one of Europe's most important military projects.
EADS spokesman Alexander Reinhardt said his company was "confident that a positive outcome will be reached with a solution acceptable to all parties."
"Certain clarifications" still need to be finalized, he added.
It wasn't immediately clear whether there was any prospect of an agreement on Friday.
The euro20 billion ($27 billion) project is over budget by about euro5.2 billion and almost four years behind schedule.
