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WORLD NEWS Friday 4 January 2019
Croatia gives Israel deadline

for sale of US-made F-16 jets

By DARKO BANDIC have agreed, the deal will The deal is Croatia's larg-
Associated Press not be carried out and we est single military purchase
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — will have another purchase since it split from the Yu-
Croatia urged Israel on bid," Croatia's parliament goslav federation during a
Thursday to overcome a speaker, Gordan Jandro- 1991-95 war. NATO mem-
rare disagreement with the kovic, said. ber Croatia faces a mini
United States and to con- Relations between the arms race with Russian ally
firm it can carry through on Trump administration and Serbia, which recently re- In this July 23, 2006 file photo, an Israeli F-16 warplane takes
off for a mission in Lebanon from an air force base in southern
a deal to sell 12 used Amer- Israel have been very ceived six used Russian Israel.
ican-made fighter jets. close, particularly on de- MiG-29 fighter jets.q Associated Press
Croatia's Defense Ministry fense issues. But the sale
said it needed an answer of the jets to Croatia ap-
from Israel by Jan. 11 or pears to be an exception.
the Balkan country's $500 U.S. Secretary of State Mike
million order for a dozen Pompeo and Israeli Prime
F-16 aircraft would be can- Minister Benjamin Netanya-
celed. hu met on Tuesday in Brazil
Israel made a tentative but didn't agree on a way
deal to sell the upgraded to end the impasse.
F-16 Barak fighters to Croa- "We are expecting final
tia in March pending U.S. and clear stands from both
approval for allowing the Israel and the United States
jets to go to a third party. on this issue and then we
The deal ran into trouble will make a final decision,"
after the U.S. State De- Croatian Prime Minister An-
partment hinted that Israel drej Plenkovic said.
needs to strip off the up- Croatian Defense Minister
grades that were added Damir Krsticevic said Thurs-
after Israel took delivery day that Israel provided
of the planes from the U.S. guarantees during the con-
some 30 years ago. tract bidding process that
Israel upgraded the jets U.S. officials would green-
with sophisticated elec- light the sale.
tronic and radar systems, "Can you imagine that
which was crucial in Croa- we do not believe Israel?"
tia's decision to buy the Krsticevic asked.
planes from Israel rather The controversy over the
than from the U.S. bid has triggered calls for
"If the planes are not in ac- the defense minister's resig-
cordance with what we nation.

Search is on for containers

lost off Dutch coast by ship

Associated Press mand for Maritime Emer-
BERLIN (AP) — Authorities in gencies said authorities
Germany and the Nether- have established that
lands were searching Thurs- three missing containers at
day for up to 270 shipping most contained a danger-
containers lost at sea by ous substance, but none of
a cargo ship caught in a them has been found yet.
storm, saying that a few of The substance in question
them are carrying hazard- is an organic peroxide, a
ous material. A bag of the flammable and highly toxic
substance washed ashore compound. On Thursday,
on a Dutch island. authorities in the Nether-
The ship that lost the con- lands said that one bag
tainers, the MSC Zoe, ar- of peroxide had been
rived in the German port of washed ashore on Schier-
Bremerhaven early Thurs- monnikoog island. German
day. The ship, which had authorities said that most of
last called at Sines, Portu- the containers located so
gal, lost part of its cargo far were in Dutch waters.
Wednesday in a storm off Special ships equipped
the northern coast of the with sonar were being used
Netherlands and Germany. to search in the North Sea
Germany's Central Com- for sunken containers.q