Thailand denied media reports on Dec. 20 that Bangkok had decided to buy 12 Russian fighter jets worth $500 million.
â€It's just a discussion, we haven't agreed on anything,”Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told reporters in between meetings of his cabinet in this city in northern Thailand.
â€I think that it's a misunderstanding on the wording as there is no agreement to buy yet,”he said.
The Moscow Times daily said Monday Russia had last week signed a preliminary agreement on the sale of the fighter jets to Thailand while the Interfax news agency also said that a definitive contract, involving barter trade, would be signed in mid-2006.
Defense Minister General Thammarak Isarangura Na Ayutthaya said the reports were “fabricated”but added Thailand was in talks over the purchase of jets with Russia, Sweden and the United States, the latter which had traditionally sold arms to Bangkok.
Thaksin said Thailand needed more technical details about a plan to possibly buy 12 SU-130 fighter jets, which was conditional on barter trade between Bangkok and Moscow.
â€We have to continue our discussions and we have discussed in general terms that if we wanted to buy, we'd buy 12 of them by barter trade,”he said.
â€There would be no broker and if there is any discount it should be in the form of extra equipment coming with the jets,”he added.
If the Russian purchase is agreed, Thailand would also upgrade its American-made fleet of F-16s, Thaksin said.
He said he believed Thailand would not have problems with the United States were Bangkok to buy Russian jets or aircraft from other countries.
â€It's our right to buy from any country, and we have a right to buy from various countries,”the premier said, adding the government would make a final decision on the purchase by the end of the first quarter of next year.
De la noticia que antes posteé, rotundo desmentido. Que ni acuerdo ni nada de momento. Por cierto son su130
, como veis lo de la prensa no es sólo en España. france presse es la fuente.
¿Al final qué es la verdad?
Libertad, nací libre y moriré libre. Nací español, no sé qué moriré.
¡Viva la Estepa, qué cojones!