U.S. Congress notified of F-16 sale to Pakistan http://today.reuters.com/stocks/QuoteCompanyNewsArticle.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2006-06-29T225021Z_01_N29287059_RTRIDST_0_PAKISTAN-USA-JETS.XML&rpc=66
Thu Jun 29, 2006
WASHINGTON, June 29 (Reuters) - The State Department said on Thursday it had notified the U.S. Congress of plans to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan in a multibillion-dollar deal with U.S. aerospace company Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research)
A State Department official said consultations with Congress were finished last week and notification was sent to Capitol Hill late on Wednesday about selling 16 new F-16s to nuclear power Pakistan and refurbishing used ones. "There is also an option on an additional 18 aircraft and a support package for up to 26 used F-16s, a munitions package and an upgrade package for Pakistan's current fleet of 34 F-16s," the official said.
The deal, estimated to be worth about $5 billion, also includes logistic support for the aircraft.
The State Department said the sale was part of a greater effort to broaden Washington's strategic partnership with Pakistan and to advance U.S. national security and foreign policy interests in Asia as a whole.
The official said Congress would have about 30 days to review the sale but unless it passed legislation to block the deal, it would go ahead. The notification went through in the same week as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Pakistan, a key U.S. ally in the fight against terrorism.
The deal could meet some opposition in Congress where some lawmakers feel Pakistan has not cooperated closely enough on terrorism issues.
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