AFP, ATHENS: Greece is reconsidering a project by the former Socialist government to buy 60 Eurofighter jets for its air force, the defence ministry said on Saturday.
The Eurofighter is built by a four-nation consortium involving the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co (EADS), BAE Systems and Finmeccanica unit Alenia.
As both the Greek prime minister and defence minister are due to visit the US in the coming weeks the press here is speculating the government may choose the US F-16 instead.
“The government has so far taken no decision concerning the choice of company from which to buy the fourth generation jets. All options remain open,” defence ministry spokesman Stephanos Guikas told AFP.
“A decision on the matter of our arms programme for the 2006-2010 period will be taken in the coming months,” he added.
The former Socialist government's decision to buy 60 Eurofighter jets was frozen when the conservative New Democracy party won a general election in March 2004.
Greek Defence Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos is to visit Washington in late April for what Guikas said would be a “political-military meeting for talks on bilateral relations between NATO and Greece”.
