Report: U.S. presses Israel to halt Venezuelan plane upgrade
By The Associated Press
Israel canceled a lucrative deal to upgrade Venezuelan warplanes under American pressure, Israeli media reports said Thursday.
Israel Television said Israel was to install its own systems in U.S.-made F-16 fighters for the Venezuelan air force, but the U.S. forced Israel to call off the deal. No dollar figure for the deal was given.
Defense Ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.
The U.S. administration considers the regime of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as a hostile, destabilizing element in South America. Chavez is close to Cuban ruler Fidel Castro, a longtime U.S. enemy.
The reported cancelation of the Venezuela-Israel deal is only the latest conflict between Israeli and American defense establishments.
Under stiff U.S. pressure, Israel called off a multimillion dollar deal to sell PHALCON reconnaissance aircraft to China five years ago, and this year the U.S. complained sharply about an agreement for Israel to upgrade China’s Harpy drone aircraft.
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October 20, 2005 at 9:42 pm