Top U.S. lawmaker objects to potential F-16 sale to Turkey - Reuters.com

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The Biden medication has told Congress it is preparing the imaginable $20 cardinal merchantability of F-16 combatant jets to Turkey, sources acquainted with the substance said connected Friday, sparking an contiguous objection from a elder U.S. lawmaker who has agelong opposed the deal.

The State Department sent the informal announcement to Congress connected Thursday, 3 sources said, informing committees overseeing arms income successful the Senate and House of Representatives of its volition to proceed with the projected deal.

NATO subordinate Turkey requested successful October 2021 to bargain 40 Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-16 fighters and astir 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes. Technical talks betwixt the 2 sides precocious concluded.

The Biden medication has said it supports the merchantability and has been successful interaction for months with Congress connected an informal ground to triumph its approval. However, it has failed truthful acold to unafraid a greenish light.

"As I person repeatedly made clear, I powerfully reason the Biden administration’s projected merchantability of caller F-16 craft to Turkey," Senator Bob Menendez, Democratic president of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said successful a statement.

While the merchantability is inactive successful the informal reappraisal process, Congress is besides improbable to o.k. the merchantability arsenic agelong arsenic Turkey refuses to proceed with the ratification of Sweden and Finland's NATO membership.

The 2 countries ended decades of neutrality past May and applied to articulation NATO successful effect to Russia's penetration of Ukraine, but Turkey objected and accused the countries of harboring militants, including from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and demanded steps beryllium taken.

At a property league connected Saturday, Ibrahim Kalin - a spokesperson for Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his main overseas argumentation advisor - said Washington's demands relating to the proviso of the combatant jets were "endless".

"If they support pushing Turkey successful different directions with F-16 (and) F-35 sanctions, and past Turkey reacts, they blasted Turkey again, past that's not a just game," Kalin said. "It looks similar their database of demands is an endless. There's ever something."

HEADING TO WASHINGTON

The notification, archetypal reported by the Wall Street Journal, comes arsenic Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu prepares to sojourn Washington connected Wednesday for talks arsenic the 2 NATO allies conflict with a big of disagreements including implicit Syria and weapons purchases.

Following the informal review, during which committee leaders tin inquire questions oregon rise concerns astir the sale, the medication tin technically spell up with a ceremonial notification. But a elder U.S. authoritative said helium was "doubtful" the medication would beryllium successful a presumption to proceed unless Menendez dropped his objection.

Erdogan was disregarding quality rights and antiauthoritarian norms and engaging successful "alarming and destabilizing behaviour successful Turkey and against neighboring NATO allies," Menendez said successful his statement.

"Until Erdogan ceases his threats ... and begins to enactment similar a trusted state should, I volition not o.k. this sale."

Menendez besides said helium welcomed quality of the merchantability of caller F-35 combatant craft for Greece, referring to Athens arsenic a "trusted NATO ally" and saying the merchantability "strengthens our 2 nations’ abilities to support shared principles including our corporate defense, democracy, quality rights and the regularisation of law."

Turkey's 2019 acquisition of Russian aerial defence systems resulted successful Ankara being kicked retired of the next-generation F-35 programme and antagonized the U.S. Congress. Disagreements with Washington implicit Syria argumentation and Turkey's grounds connected quality rights and state of look besides weighs connected legislature sentiment.

A State Department spokesperson declined to comment, saying the section does not corroborate oregon remark connected projected arms income oregon transfers until the medication has formally requested support from Congress.

Under U.S. law, Congress tin artifact a merchantability by passing a solution of disapproval aft a ceremonial notification of a sale, but it is improbable to bash truthful if President Joe Biden decides to spell up contempt lawmakers' objections. While Congress has passed specified resolutions successful the past, it has ne'er mustered the two-thirds majorities needed successful some chambers to flooded a statesmanlike veto.

Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Patricia Zengerle and Mike Stone; Additional reporting by Jonathan Spicer successful Istanbul; Editing by William Mallard and David Holmes

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