site.btaDefence Committee Proposes to Parliament to Override President's Veto of F-16 Deal

ESD 20:06:01 24-07-2019
VE2005ES.130
130 MILITARY - F-16 DEAL - COMMITTEE - PROPOSAL

Defence Committee Proposes
to Parliament to Override
President's Veto of F-16 Deal


Sofia, July 24 (BTA) - After a debate on Wednesday, which lasted more than an hour and a half, the Defence Committee in the National Assembly proposed to the full legislature to overthrow a presidential veto and approve again the law ratifying the Bulgaria-US agreements on the purchase of eight F-16 Block 70 fighter aircraft for the Bulgarian Air Force and the provision of related equipment and technical support.

The decision was adopted by 13 votes in favour and 7 against, at an extraordinary meeting of the Defence Committee which considered President Rumen Radev's veto.

Also on Wednesday, President Radev made a special statement for the media upon his return from a visit to Croatia, to elaborate on his arguments for Tuesday's veto of the ratification of the F-16 deal. He urged the National Assembly to hold another debate to see whether Bulgaria's national interests have really been defended, given that the price of the deal is 2.2 billion leva pre-VAT and should be paid in a lump sum.

Radev, who is former Air Force commander, argued that the armament, equipment, training and services which ought to go into the F-16 package for Bulgaria have been scaled down, which means reduced capabilities of the aircraft. There are also hidden or unspecified expenses which Bulgaria will have to incur eventually for infrastructure, transport, armament, equipment, services, taxes and fees. Moreover, the US contractor will be able to change unilaterally some clauses of the agreements concerning prices, deadlines and volumes of supplies and services.

These hidden and unclear expenses will inflict considerable financial obligations on the Bulgarian governments for decades to come, Radev warned.

The uncertainties about the F-16 deal will create unsteadiness in the modernization of the Bulgarian Air Force and will jeopardize the upgrading of the Ground Force and the Navy, Radev warned.

On Tuesday, when the veto was unveiled, Radev said in his reasoning that it is extremely concerning that such a costly deal was pushed through without national consensus and the two parliamentary readings of the ratification bill were rushed in a single sitting of the National Assembly.

Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov, who took part in Wednesday's meeting of the Defence Committee, told journalists he disagrees with the President that the deal needs further debate. He added, however, that he appreciates the President's opinion because he is a good pilot and was at the helm of the Air Force before becoming head of state.

If the ratification was postponed even by a month, the deadlines of the US offers would expire and the whole process would have to start all over again, the Defence Minister said.

Asked whether he expects the President to veto the recent state budget revision (which was aimed to accommodate the costs of the F-16 deal), or the industrial cooperation provisions, Karakachanov said this is possible, but if it happens, the process will be delayed and the deadlines may not be met. Eventually, Bulgaria may have to agree to "other prices," he warned.

Karakachanov finds that the controversy has been politicized. LY/LN/VE