Austrian opposition may seek parliamentary inquiry on Eurofighter deal

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria's Freedom Party (FPO) opened the door on Tuesday for a parliamentary inquiry into whether Airbus billed the government for bribes linked to the country's 2 billion-euro ($2.1 billion) order for combat aircraft. The FPO will give final approval for an investigation only after negotiating with the Green Party about what details are to be investigated, FPO head Heinz-Christian Strache said at a news conference in Vienna. Strache particularly wants to find out why another parliamentary inquiry, in 2007, was terminated. The latest inquiry will also investigate whether politicians involved in the controversial deal took bribes. The move comes days after Austrian prosecutors opened a formal criminal investigation of Airbus and the Eurofighter consortium over alleged fraud in the order for the aircraft. ($1 = 0.9432 euros) (Reporting by Kirsti Knolle, editing by Larry King)