US lawmakers table amendment to block sale of F-16s to Turkey
A bipartisan group of US legislators have filed amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would prevent the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey if Ankara continues its territorial overflights and air space violations in the Aegean.
The amendment was submitted to Congress at the initiative of Greek-American member of parliament Chris Pappas and was co-signed by Dina Titus, Carolyn B. Maloney, Charlie Crist and John Sarbanes.
Under this amendment, the US president is prohibited from transferring weapons to a NATO member country that has repeatedly violated the airspace or violated the sovereignty or territorial integrity of another NATO member country in the past year.
The goal of the American lawmakers, who are members of the parliamentary group on Greek issues in Congress, is to ensure that the Biden administration does not proceed with the sale, but also with the upgrade of Turkey’s existing fleet of F-16 jets.
However, the amendment leaves a window open that allows the president to override the restrictions if he certifies to Congress that doing so is in the vital interest of US national security. In this context, the president should provide a detailed description of the specific measures taken to ensure that US weapons are not used for violations of the sovereignty of another NATO member.
