F-16 offsets - half of companies yet to open talks

To date only half the companies participating in the F-16 offset program have opened talks with their American partners. This is rather discomforting since detailed business negotiations must be terminated 120 days after the general compensation agreement, i.e. by August 19. Yesterday Marek Bartosik, deputy Education and Computerization Minister, stated that scope for monitoring the so-called ground-level negotiations is limited. The offset committee does not see any imminent threats for the 74 accepted programs, valued at over $12 billion, though one case has already been noted of a company withdrawing from a previously negotiated agreement. An aluminum-producer from Southern Poland, after a closer analysis, decided that the American offer did not meet their expectations. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B3) A.C.