Graham Warwick/ATLANTA
LOCKHEED F-16s built for Pakistan would be supplied to the Philippines and Taiwan under a compromise proposed by the US senator responsible for the legislation which has blocked delivery of the 28 aircraft.
Pakistan has demanded delivery of the F-16s or return of the $658 million it has already paid for the aircraft.
Senator Larry Pressler has proposed that 11 of the F-16A/Bs be sold to the Philippines and 17 to Taiwan, and that proceeds from the sales be used to reimburse Pakistan. The US state Department has responded by noting that neither Taiwan nor the Philippines has expressed any interest in acquiring the Pakistani F-16s.
Pressler opposes repealing or waiving the legislation he authored in 1990, which blocks arms sales to Pakistan because of concerns over the country's development of nuclear weapons.
Taiwan already has 150 F-16A/Bs on order, but availability of the Pakistani aircraft, now in desert storage, would accelerate first deliveries by two years, Pressler says.
The Clinton Administration, which has pledged to help Pakistan get the aircraft or its money, has given the Pressler proposal a cautious welcome.
Source: Flight International
