Indonesian expert says money to buy planes budgeted: Islamabad to use refund money for Mirage purchase
ISLAMABAD: For the first time Site the US cut off its aid to Pakistan, mv may be close to a deal for at least nine of the 28 F16s to Indonesia that Islamabad paid for but never received.
‘A deal would help end a five-year “Stalemate between Pakistan and the United States over the future News writes in a story published in its latest edition. A copy of the story made available in advance Of its publication, also says that the deal may facilitate Pakistan’s planned Purchase of $2.37 billion worth of tactical aircraft from France’s Dassault Aviation.
Practically all that stands in the way of the sale, being made by the United States on behalf of Pakistan, is “for the Indonesian government to settle On financing,” R.M. Laksamana Sunardi, staff expert to the Indonesian Minister of Defense and Security, told Defense News in an interview. “A firm commitment to buy the “nine aircraft should be made within “two or three months pending a decision on financing,” Sunardi told the .Publication adding, “the money to buy the planes has been budgeted.” Sunardi also said, “The sale of the F16s has been approved by (the U.S.) government and Congress has been ‘very supportive, we hope there will be no obstacles.” Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto told journalists in Islamabad on February 14 that “we have so far not received any formal information that a deal with a third Country is about to take place. It’s ‘Premature to say anything.
An official at the US Defense Department in Washington, however, confirmed that the planes have been offered to Jakarta with the US government now awaiting a response, “The bail is in their court” herald
Delivery of the planes for which Pakistan paid $658 million was embargoed in 1990 under a law sponsored by US, Senator Larry Pressler. The Pressler Amendment bars defense trade with Pakistan until the US Government can certify that Islamabad is not pursuing a clandestine nuclear program.
Defense News also writes that Islamabad hopes to use the money that it receives in refunds from the US following the deal with Jakarta to help buy Mirage 20005 fighter planes it wants to purchase from France. Meanwhile, Serge Dassault, Chairman, of Dassault Aviation, Vaucresson told Defense News in an interview in Paris, a sale (of the F16s) “would be good news for us and would certainly help our business with Pakistan.
Pakistan’s planned Mirage 20005 purchase would cost 12 billion French francs ($2.36 billion). Dassault said. And continuing negotiations with the French government are deadlocked as Pakistan looks for ways to finance the last five billion francs ($983 million). Pakistani officials also say that they want to have a complete technical calculation of the planes before making a decision, Defense News concludes, “Should the F16 sale goes forward the planes which have been stored in the Arizona desert for the past five years, will have to be serviced and modified for us in Indonesia.” Dain Hancock, President of Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft systems told Defense News in a Separate interview that such & government to government sale ‘would have little impact on the company though some of the refurbishing work might be done in Fort Worth. P.L. 3/1/96.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 13, 1996
