U.S. still will press for missiles sale

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34130, 17 April 1976, Page 15

U.S. still will press for missiles sale

(N.Z.P A.-Reuter—Copyrtghl) . WASHINGTON, April 16. Talks are still going on j between the United States, Jordan, and! Saudi Arabia about Jor- i dan’s proposed purchase] of a Hawk anti-aircraft missile system from the United States, a State Department spokesman has said in Washington. he spokesman, Mr Robert Funseth, was replying to a i statement by the Jordanian | Prime Minister (Mr Zeidl Ri.'.xi) published in “The; Tim's” that J dan was can-] celling the order. Mr Fu.xseth said that final) signature of the contract had i been held up by unforeseen; difficulties. Informed sources! said the asking price for the: 14 ’> - 'eries of missiles was > SUSBOOm. Saudi Arabia. ; w-hich was footing the bill,; refused to pay more than! SUS3OOm. The contract was origi-i nally for the Hawks and 1001 Vulcan anti-aircraft guns, |

■ and Mr Rifai said Jordan I would now turn to the So- ! viet Union for its antij aircraft defence system. I Delays last year in obtainI ing the approval of the (United States Congress for ] the deal had meant that the [price had more than doubled iby the time the bill was I presented in January, he said. “The Saudis did not find it possible to finance the whole deal at the new prices, and therefore we consider the deal with the United States as off,” Mr Rifai said. . The only oth.r source i which could supply an airI defence system at reasonably moderate prices a-d with an ;a sptuble delivery schedule [was th„ Soviet Uni i. ; Comparable European systems, he said, were too ex- ;; pensive and would take too [long to deliver. “The only ! 'option now is the Soviet .pinion, and we plan to reactivate the preliminary It. x with them as soon as ' ’we return.” II A Pentagon spokesman has admitted that Raythean, ■lthe company that builds the 11 Hawk, had been told to stop I work on the order,