F-16 signing misses deadline
The F-16 offsets story took a new twist at the weekend as the February 28 deadline set for signing the deal for the purchase of the 48 strike aircraft and associated offsets, and promised to US President George W. Bush by Prime Minister Leszek Miller during his Washington summit, came and went without pen being put to paper.
John Matel, press attaché at the American embassy in Warsaw, confirmed on Friday: "No, it won't be signed today."
The statement followed a week of speculation during which deputy minister Jacek Piechota at the economy, labour and social policy ministry appeared to suggest the whole deal might have to be renegotiated again because of complexities over the legal form of the contracts. He intimated that Polish law needed the agreement to be done with the US government.
But a source close to the negotiations told the Business Journal that while the deal was certain to go through in the end, the last-minute posturing of the Miller administration had annoyed US officials "at the highest level."
He added: "You don't just tell the US president you are going to sign on February 28, and then nothing happens."
Matel distanced the American government from any direct involvement in the offset talks. "There are some technicalities, but the American government does not do offsets. The agreement is between Lockheed and the Polish government. We have confidence it will be signed in good order. Negotiations are ongoing and we expect them to be reached in good order."
The Business Journal's source said Miller was re-running the tactics he used at the EU's Copenhagen Summit, trying to squeeze more money out of US companies. "From the American point of view, the Poles are not doing themselves any favours because they simply got themselves into a worse negotiating position," he said. "But it's a non-issue that the deal might be off. It will go through."
Defence ministry spokesman Eugeniusz Mleczak confirmed the text of the offset deal had "not been agreed to an extent satisfactory to the Polish side."
He added: "In the present circumstances we consider it beneficial and reasonable for the main deal and the credit deal to be signed at the nearest possible point in time on the condition that the offset deal corresponds to the expectations of the Polish side and declarations of the American side."
John Matel, press attaché at the American embassy in Warsaw, confirmed on Friday: "No, it won't be signed today."
The statement followed a week of speculation during which deputy minister Jacek Piechota at the economy, labour and social policy ministry appeared to suggest the whole deal might have to be renegotiated again because of complexities over the legal form of the contracts. He intimated that Polish law needed the agreement to be done with the US government.
But a source close to the negotiations told the Business Journal that while the deal was certain to go through in the end, the last-minute posturing of the Miller administration had annoyed US officials "at the highest level."
He added: "You don't just tell the US president you are going to sign on February 28, and then nothing happens."
Matel distanced the American government from any direct involvement in the offset talks. "There are some technicalities, but the American government does not do offsets. The agreement is between Lockheed and the Polish government. We have confidence it will be signed in good order. Negotiations are ongoing and we expect them to be reached in good order."
The Business Journal's source said Miller was re-running the tactics he used at the EU's Copenhagen Summit, trying to squeeze more money out of US companies. "From the American point of view, the Poles are not doing themselves any favours because they simply got themselves into a worse negotiating position," he said. "But it's a non-issue that the deal might be off. It will go through."
Defence ministry spokesman Eugeniusz Mleczak confirmed the text of the offset deal had "not been agreed to an extent satisfactory to the Polish side."
He added: "In the present circumstances we consider it beneficial and reasonable for the main deal and the credit deal to be signed at the nearest possible point in time on the condition that the offset deal corresponds to the expectations of the Polish side and declarations of the American side."
