Greek Typhoon buy in doubt.

Hi gents
I found this
Greece has said it is postponing the purchase of 60 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft until after 2004 in order to save money for social enhancement programmes and the Olympic Games.

After a marathon cabinet meeting Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis emerged to tell reporters that “More efficient control over expenditure will be implemented ensuring a higher degree of transparency and more rigorous drive against tax evasion.”

Greece had signed a 5 billion euros ($4.43 billion) contract for 60 aircraft with an option for a further 30. This order had been the only one outside the original four (UK, Germany, Italy and Spain) that had launched the Eurofighter and the company, jointly owned by EADS (46%) BAE SYSTEMS (33%) and Alenia Aerospazio (21%), was using that as a major sales tool in discussions with other interested parties.

Worryingly for Eurofighter the Prime Minister used the words ‘fourth generation fighter jet’ rather than ‘Eurofighter’ when talking about future procurement decisions. Delaying the decision until after 2004 brings a number of aircraft into the frame, not least the Joint Strike Fighter, assuming it survives the Bush administration’s review of major procurement programmes.

However, a government spokesman emphasised that the decision to buy jets was not being scrapped but merely pushed back.