To send a clear message to Turkey about the overflights over the Greek islands, the US Congress chose to include a reference to this in the accompanying text of the defense budget (NDAA) that was finalized on Tuesday night. «We believe that NATO allies should not conduct unauthorized overflights in the airspace of other NATO allies,» US lawmakers noted in the accompanying explanatory text of the House and Senate Defense Appropriations Committees.
This wording is considered a statement of legislative intent from Congress to the Biden administration, as it sends the message that Ankara's provocations in the Aegean must be addressed before the White House sends the official notice of the F-16 deal to Congress.
The specific reference to overflights is the result of months of negotiations in Congress to include an amendment in the text of the bill. Specifically, in the section on F-16 transfers, entitled «restrictions on the transfer of F-16 aircraft,» it is recalled that the House text included an amendment by Chris Pope that would have prohibited the U.S. president from selling or authorizing a license to export new F-16 aircraft or upgrade technology or modernization kits to Turkey unless the president provided certain certifications. It is then noted that there is no similar amendment in the Senate text and therefore the final text does not include such a provision.
However, it should be noted that the amendments were from the beginning just an additional tool, as Senator Robert Menendez continues to retain his veto power as chairman of the Senate International Relations Committee and therefore continues to be considered the politician who holds the keys to the F-16. In fact, in a recent interview with ERT, he reiterated once again that he will not consent to the transfer of the fighter jets to Turkey.
