Foreign Minister Yigal Allon expressed the hope yesterday that the United States will reverse its decision blocking the sale of 24 Israeli-made Kfir jet interceptors to Ecuador. His statement came as the State Department announced in Washington that it had blocked the sale because of “long-standing policy” not to supply sophisticated weapons to Latin American countries. U.S. approval is required because the Kfir is powered by a General Electric J-79 engine.
(A statement issued by the Department yesterday said “Approval of this particular sale would run contrary to our policy of not providing advanced and sophisticated aircraft to Latin America. This is a long standing policy going back at least 15 years.”)
(Asked if this meant that the U. S. was prepared to see Ecuador buy its planes from France or even the Soviet Union, Department spokesman Frederick Z. Brown reiterated that the U. S. is doing whatever it can to restrict the introduction of sophisticated weaponry to Latin America. He said that “every sale is based on a case-by-case basis on its own merits.”)
CITES LOSS OF MARKET, SALE
Allon, expressing regret that the proposed sale to Ecuador had been made public, charged that those who revealed it had done great harm to Israel. Sources said the sale’s loss would be a severe blow to Israel Aircraft Industries, manufacturer of the Kfir, and to Israel’s chances of penetrating the Latin American arms market.
Defense Minister Shimon Peres said if the 24 jets do not go to Ecuador they will have to be absorbed by the Israel Air Force. This would make up at least part of the loss of the $150 million sale by IAI. Peres stressed that Israel must continue to develop its arms industry. even if it loses sales abroad, because it cannot become totally dependent on the import of defense items.
The Defense Minister disclosed that the Kfir was selected by Ecuador over competing American and French aircraft. The Kfir is reported to be at least the equivalent of the F-4 Phantom fighter bomber.
OTHER SALES MAY BE STYMIED
Israeli sources expected that if Ecuador bought the Kfir it would also buy the Shafrir air-to-air missile with which the Kfir is armed. The sale of the Israeli-designed and built combat plane was also expected to open the way for the sale of other Israeli-made weaponry to Ecuador and other Latin American countries. The IAI spent a substantial sum translating the technical data into Spanish and preparing a training cadre to instruct the Ecuadorians in operating the plane.
American approval had expected to be pro forma. The IAI pointed out that the Kfir is a first generation aircraft and the American technology it embodies is no longer classified. Reports from foreign sources said the U. S. may offer its F-5 jet interceptor to Ecuador although its price is double that of the Kfir and, according to the Israelis, is inferior in performance. Some Israeli sources believe the U. S. decision was influenced by American arms manufacturers who want to block Israeli competition in the international weapons market.
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