“I have to talk to the administration about a lot of these issues because it’s not just about one issue and I have to understand that,” said Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin
The new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said today that he will review Turkey’s $20 billion deal to buy Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets, but his decision on whether to lift his predecessor’s veto will not only depend on Sweden joining NATO.
“I have to talk to the government about a lot of these issues because it’s not just about one issue and I have to understand thatDemocratic Sen. Ben Cardin told reporters a day after taking over as chairman of the committee.
Cardin said he discussed the issue of Sweden’s NATO membership with Turkish officials at a meeting of NATO ambassadors on Wednesday.
“They claim that it will happen (the ratification of the accession by Ankara) at the beginning of next month. If that is the case, then at least we will have resolved the NATO issue, but there are other issues beyond NATO enlargement that we need to discuss as we go forward,” he added.
Bob Menendez, who was chairman of the commission until earlier this week, blocked the sale of the F-16s for months, citing Turkey’s objections to Sweden’s NATO membership, human rights abuses and violations of its airspace. Greece. He resigned as chairman of the Commission after he and his wife Nadine were accused of bribery. The heads of the Senate and House Foreign Affairs Committees review all major arms deals and often raise questions or express concerns about human rights or other diplomatic issues that could delay or even stop such deals from happening.
Ankara has been delaying the ratification of Sweden’s accession to NATO for months. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to proceed with ratification when parliament resumes in October. After Menendez’s prosecution, Erdogan said Turkey should turn the senator’s legal troubles into an opportunity to buy the F-16s. “It is in our interest that Menendez is out of the picture,” he reportedly told Turkish media.
Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO last summer. Although Finland’s candidacy was approved by all members of the Pact, Sweden’s remains pending, having not been ratified by Turkey, nor by Hungary. Ankara says it is working closely with Budapest on the matter.
The top Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Senator Jim Reese, has also blocked the sale of arms to Hungary.
Source :Skai
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