By Marco Aquino
LIMA, April 22 (Reuters) – Peruvian Defense Minister Carlos Diaz resigned from his post on Wednesday, amid interim President Jose Balcazar’s decision to postpone a purchase of F-16 aircraft from the United States.
Balcazar, who leaves office in July, had said the purchase was postponed until the next government takes power.
Peru has spent years in negotiations with different firms to modernize its aging fighter jet fleet of Mirage 2000 and MiG‑29 aircraft acquired in the 1980s and 1990s. Peru is looking to eventually acquire a total of 24 jets, but a first deal would be for 12.
Among the bidders is U.S. firm Lockheed Martin. The U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of F‑16 aircraft and related support to Peru in September last year, with Lockheed Martin as the principal contractor, alongside General Electric Aerospace and RTX Corp, in a deal valued at an estimated $3.42 billion, the Pentagon said at the time.
Balcazar, according to local media, canceled a signing ceremony last week for the acquisition of Lockheed Martin F‑16 jets just hours before it was scheduled to take place on April 17, citing concerns over committing the next government to a major defense commitment. The government has not publicly confirmed if a signing ceremony was due to take place.
The U.S. embassy in Lima did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Diaz, in office since March 17, had been scheduled to appear before Congress’s Defense Committee to answer questions about the suspension of the signing of a deal.
(Reporting by Marco Aquino and Lucinda Elliott; editing by Cassandra Garrison)
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