Kuwait Agrees to Amend Weapons Deal With U.S.
The government said Saturday that it has agreed to amend an arms deal with the United States that is worth an estimated $1.9 billion.
“This amendment was made in a way that corresponds to the interests of Kuwait,” Foreign Minister Sheik Sabah al Ahmed al Sabah told Kuwait’s official news agency. He gave no details.
The deal, which includes the purchase of 40 F-18 warplanes and Maverick missiles, met opposition in Congress, which feared a possible threat to Israel and a proliferation of advanced weapons in the Persian Gulf region.
But key congressmen said last Wednesday that they had agreed with the Reagan Administration to stretch out delivery of the weapons and to exchange the F-18s on a one-for-one basis with A-4 aircraft now in Kuwait’s possession.
They said delivery of the F-18s would be extended to 1994 instead of being completed by 1993 and that Kuwait would be allowed to buy only Maverick G missiles instead of a mixture of Maverick Ds and Maverick Gs.
The G version of the infrared guided missile is primarily for use against ships, while the D version is for use against tanks.
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