Re: Pakistan Airforce News and Discussions
Accord reached with US on F-16 deal delay
By Anwar Iqbal link http://www.dawn.com/2005/11/07/top8.htm
WASHINGTON, Nov 6: Pakistan and the United States on Friday reached an understanding which allows Islamabad to temporarily delay a deal to purchase F-16 fighter jets.
The Bush administration also delayed an earlier decision to seek Congressional approval for the proposed deal till at least the next session. The current Congressional session expires before Nov 24 and the next begins in January.
The decision to delay the F-16 deal was finalized at a meeting between Ambassador Jehangir Karamat and US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was expected to brief the House of Representatives International Relations Committee on the proposed sale of F-16s in a classified session on Wednesday. She would have then sent a formal notification or soon after. After notification, Congress has 30 days to pass a resolution of disapproval if it wants to block the sale.
US and Pakistani officials had indicated earlier that they did not expect the lawmakers to unnecessary delay the deal.
“But now the deal may be delayed at least till the next Congressional session,†Ambassador Karamat told Dawn after his meeting with Ms Rocca.
Asked if the delay could extend to a year or longer, Mr Karamat said: “Possible. But it is difficult to give a revised schedule at this stage. We will have to see how much resources we need for helping and rehabilitating the
earthquake victims and then we will think about other matters.â€
He said
the deal was going to cost Pakistan as much as $4 billion and “we felt that at this stage we need that money for the earthquake victims.â€
Pakistan was expected to buy 75 F-16s from the US. Of these, 50 were new F-16C/D Falcon while 25 were old but upgraded versions of the aircraft. The deal included upgrading of the 30 F-16s Pakistan received in the 1980s. In July, the US had agreed to deliver at least two F-16s by November.
“It’s an ideal for us,†said Ambassador Karamat. “We hope we will be able to finalize it at a later stage.â€
He said the Bush administration had assured Pakistan that the delay would not affect the deal and “we would be able to revive it when we are ready.â€
At a briefing at the US State Department, spokesman Sean McCormack said: “How and when this sale actually moves forward is up to the government of Pakistan. I would leave it to the Pakistani government to talk about where exactly they stand on their request for sale of F-16s.â€
He said the government and people of Pakistan were facing incredible challenges as not only they were still trying to deal with the relief phase in the aftermath of the earthquake but were also looking ahead to the reconstruction phase. “And that is something that we are going to be working closely with the Pakistani government, as well as with the international community,†he said.
On March 25, the Bush administration had announced that it would resume selling F-16s to Pakistan after a hiatus of almost 16 years.
But
Pakistan’s decision to delay the deal will have a negative impact on Lockheed Martin, the company that produces the F-16s, which already faces major job cuts. Employment on the company’s F-16 production line, which exceeded 5,500 two years ago, is now close to 4,000.
Soon after Pakistan announced its decision,
Lockheed spokesman Joe Stout said the company “needs a new F-16 order this year to preclude disruptions in the F-16 production line.â€
Another company spokesman, however, hoped that the sale to Pakistan may still occur.
Defence experts in Washington say that the US government will likely support Pakistan’s bid for the F-16s with generous financial terms for both foreign policy and domestic political reasons.
Also considering that the assembly line is in the presidents home state, so a closure of the fortworth plant would look really bad.