Bahrain to get F-16s as US lifts conditions

Washington : The US State Department has decided to lift the conditions on sale of F-16 fighter jets to Bahrain, as the Trump administration moved to shore up bilateral ties with the Kingdom, reports said yesterday. President Donald Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama had imposed certain conditions on sale of the 19 single-engine supersonic fighters worth $2.7 billion to the Kingdom. 

If the deal is finalised, the approval would allow Bahrain to purchase 19 of the jets from Maryland-based Lockheed Martin Corp., plus improvements to other jets in Bahrain’s fleet. Though Congress has opportunities to block the sale, it is unlikely it will act to do so, given the Republican majority’s strong support for the sale. 

The notification triggers a 40-day “consultation” period in which committee staff can review a draft of the Bahrain approval, ask questions about the sale and raise any concerns. Then the State Department will send a formal notification to Congress, setting off a final, 30-day review period, during which Congress could pass a joint resolution or take other steps to stop the sale. 

Bloomberg, citing two persons familiar with the plans, said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday asked Congress to support the sale, starting a clock for its approval.

The notice came on the same day that the head of US forces in the region, General Joseph Votel, told lawmakers that imposing preconditions linked to human rights on arms sales to foreign allies hurts relationships between the militaries.

“While we have historically enjoyed a strong mil-to-mil relationship with our Bahraini counterparts, the slow progress on key FMS cases, specifically additional F-16 aircraft and upgrades to Bahrain’s existing F-16 fleet, due to concerns of potential human rights abuses in the country, continues to strain our relationship,” he told the House Armed Services Committee. Senator Bob Corker, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, said “there are more effective ways to seek changes in policies than conditioning weapons transfers in this manner.”