ZAGREB, January 15, 2019 - Defence Minister Damir Krstičević said on Monday Croatia would procure new fighter jets and that the purchase of American F-16s was one of the likeliest options, adding that he expected the US to make its strategic partner the best offer "which the Croats certainly won't be able to refuse."

"Personally, I'd like the F-16 platform. I'd like them to be new planes, fewer ones and that, taking into account the funds we have, it is realistic for Croatia," he told the press after a cabinet meeting at which a decision on the procurement of Israeli multipurpose F-16 Baraks was put out of force.

Krstičević said he would systematically examine every option. "I believe our partner, the US, will do everything to make Croatia the best offer. We are responsible for the security of Croatia, the security of the air space. We believe we will get aircraft which is good for Croatia and which citizens can afford."

"This with the Americans, it's one of the options we are closest to, but we expect the US to make its strategic partner, the Croats, the best offer which the Croats certainly won't be able to refuse."

He said Croatia was interested in the F-16 Block 70/72. "A smaller number, step by step, expecting the prices to be good for Croatia."

He said no one must be eliminated, though. "The whole state leadership should consider everything and choose what's most realistic for Croatia."

Krstičević said he was talking to the defence ministers whose countries recently bought US aircraft but would not speculate how much the new jets could cost Croatia. "We must be responsible about our money, so that we get the best price-quality ratio."

Asked if there had been hidden offers in the previous tender and if something had been offered under the table, Krstičević said he did not allow that. "Everything I and my associates did was extremely transparent, systematic, in the best faith and in the function of national interests."

He said Croatia had embarked on the procurement of fighter jets ambitiously because the state of Croatia's MiG aircraft "forced us to define the process as soon as possible."

The minister said Croatia's security was not in danger and that Croatia was a secure country. He reiterated that there was no damage to the national budget after the procurement of F-16s from Israel had fallen through, saying the expenses of going to meetings had served to strengthen cooperation with Israel. "They are very small for us."

More news on Croatia’s fighter jet acquisition can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 14, 2019 - The government on Monday unanimously put out of force a decision on the procurement of Israeli F-16 multipurpose fighter jets. The cabinet meeting was preceded by a session of the Defence Council, where a report on the procurement of the aircraft was presented and the government was recommended to define a new model for the procurement of multipurpose fighter jets for the Armed Forces.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said today that a thorough analysis of all reasons that caused the suspension of the implementation of the deal with Israel would be conducted.

The notification provided by Israel that it could not obtain the approval from the USA for the Third Party Transfer was the main reason why Croatia decided to nullify its previous decision on the acquisition of the planes from Israel, according to Plenković's explanation.

The deal was halted due to disagreement between Israel and the USA following the US objection to the sale of modified F-16 fighter jets to Croatia. The Israeli-US dispute has to do with who owns the technology and intellectual property rights.

Defence Minister Damir Krstičević underscored the political will to maintain the combat capabilities of the Air Force developed during the Homeland War.

Answering questions from the press after meeting his Polish counterpart Mariusz Blaszczak, Krstičević reiterated that during their visit to Zagreb last week Israeli officials had confirmed that they had failed to obtain final approval from the United States for the sale of upgraded F-16 Barak aircraft to Croatia, even though they had preliminary approval for the deal. "It is solely their responsibility," he said.

"The Israelis reiterated once again that the entire process was highly professional and open on the Croatian part and that the people in Croatia showed a high level of responsibility, that we asked all the necessary questions and received all the necessary guarantees in this process," Krstičević said.

"The United States, our strategic partner in defence, emphasised from the outset, including in its latest statement, that it gave full support for the Croatian acquisition of F-16 aircraft from Israel," he added.

Krstičević said that Croatia would launch a new process to procure military aircraft. "We will close this process transparently and, with all this experience and knowledge, we will start a new process which will be the best, so that Croatia will get quality multipurpose aircraft it needs for surveillance of its airspace. This government will certainly do all it can for this to happen," the defence minister said.

More news on the Croatian Air Force can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 12, 2019 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Saturday the government would cancel a tender for the purchase of F-16 fighter jets on Monday and then analyse the lessons learned, but added that it remains resolute about Croatia's maintaining its combat aircraft capabilities.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the 29th anniversary of the Split branch of his HDZ party, Plenković said his was the first government that was daring enough to adopt the strategic decision to buy fighter jets.

He said the government entered the process transparently and did everything after Israel's offer in good faith and with due attention.

Plenković said the government probably would not have adopted the decision had it been clear that the manufacturer, a US company, was convinced that the US administration would not allow the transfer of upgraded aircraft.

"That wasn't that clear nor could one detect it either after the defence minister's visit to the US in July or after the Israeli president's visit. It couldn't be concluded either from the fact that the Israeli F-16 Baraks flew above Knin on August 5."

Plenković said the government would meet on Monday and cancel the tender for the purchase of fighter jets, putting the decision on the purchase out of force.

The next step will be decided when the government, the Defence Council and other institutions estimate that the step is necessary, he added. "Confident that, strategically speaking, we adopted a good decision behind which we stand, we will probably embark on a new process when we estimate the time is right," Plenković said in Split, adding that "such things happened in such big operations also in other countries, which were probably doing it for the first time too."

He went on to say that the government would carry out many reforms in future to reinforce the state administration through better organisation and digitisation.

More news on the Croatian military can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 12, 2019 - Defence Minister Damir Krstičević said on Friday evening that Croatia's security was not in danger and that the tender for the procurement of fighter jets would be formally cancelled next week after the deal with Israel fell through.

"The security of Croatia is not in danger. Croatia is a safe country, it has a strong and respectable military, and we have demonstrated its value. Unlike the opposition, who had the responsibility to resolve this issue, they failed to do so and they put us in a position that now we have to deal with this issue," Krstičević said in an interview with the public broadcaster HTV when asked if the country was in danger as claimed by opposition parties.

He said that earlier in the day he and Armed Forced Chief of Staff Mirko Šundov had met with President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and informed her of talks with Israel and the state of the Croatian Air Force.

He added that Grabar-Kitarović had convened the Defence Council for Monday to discuss the situation concerning the tender for the procurement of multipurpose combat aircraft and the situation in the Air Force. After that, the government will cancel the tender and will continue searching for the best option for Croatia, the minister said.

Krstičević said that Prime Minister Andrej Plenković had been acquainted with all activities concerning the procurement of aircraft from the outset and that all state institutions and representatives of the opposition had also been involved in the decision-making process. "The representatives of the SDP (Social Democratic Party) unanimously supported this decision, so I'm surprised that they have changed their position and I don't understand it," Krstičević said.

He said he did not feel responsible for the failure of the purchase of Israeli F-16 fighter jets. "I don't consider myself responsible, nor do I consider my associates responsible. In this entire process we did nothing against Croatia's interests and the interests of its citizens."

Krstičević said that the opposition demands for his resignation were legitimate. He recalled that the SDP was in power from 2011 to 2015 and during those four years they had enough time to resolve the issue of the Croatian Air Force.

"Not only did they not resolve it, but an overhaul of the MiG-21s was done in Ukraine and it was done poorly. Those aircraft were supposed to fly 850 hours. They should have been delivered to Croatia in flying condition, but they came on trucks. But unlike them, this government came to grips with this problem right from the start in order to systematically resolve the Croatian Air Force issue," the defence minister said.

Krstičević noted that the Israeli Defence Ministry delegation, who visited Croatia on Thursday, had admitted that it was their responsibility that they had failed to obtain approval from the United States for the sale of the modified F-16 Barak aircraft to Croatia. He stressed that Croatia had done its job very professionally and responsibly, obtaining all the necessary guarantees.

More news on the Ministry of Defence can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 11, 2019 – Živi Zid president Ivan Sinčić said on Friday Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krstičević was primarily responsible for the failed purchase of Israeli F-16 fighter jets and should resign, adding that Prime Minister Andrej Plenković was also responsible for "holding the ladder."

Krstičević worked with Israelis in the King ICT company and had to know how this job is done and should not have put Croatia in such an embarrassing situation, Sinčić told reporters.

Asked to comment on President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović decision to convene the Defence Council over the failed aircraft purchase, he said that instead of acting preventively with the personnel and bodies at her disposal, she was convening a meeting when the deal had fallen through.

She is the supreme commander of the armed forces, has personnel and contacts abroad, she was a diplomat, including in the US, she knows many people and should have obtained adequate information and known the protocol of buying fighter jets, and she should have warned the government about the risks and advised against the deal, said Sinčić.

He also commented on the fact that Croatian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Ivan Del Vechio and the president of the HDZ BiH Bosnian Croat party, Dragan Čović, had recently attended a ceremony marking the unconstitutionally declared day of BiH's Serb entity Republika Srpska.

Sinčić said the policy of Croatia's ruling HDZ party regarding BiH was a wrong and hypocritical policy of cooperation with someone one should not cooperate with.

Živi Zid MP Ivan Pernar said Čović had formed an alliance with Milorad Dodik, the incumbent chairman of the BiH Presidency, who Pernar said was not a Croatian ally and had given his consent to a BiH lawsuit against Croatia. He said attending a ceremony marking the day of an entity created on the disappearance of Croats from northern BiH said more than enough about the HDZ's love for Croats in BiH.

More news on the Živi Zid party can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 11, 2019 - The United States Embassy in Zagreb said on Friday that during the entire process aimed at providing Croatia with F-16 fighter jets from Israel the United States was clear regarding the conditions necessary for Third Party Transfer (TPT).

The Croatia-Israeli deal has definitely fallen through after Israel officially informed Croatia that it could not obtain an approval of the United States for the delivery of the fighter jets.

After talks with our Israeli colleagues, "I can tell you that the State of Israel has officially informed the Defence Ministry that ... it cannot obtain the necessary approval from the United States for the delivery of the Israeli F-16 fighter jets to Croatia," Krstičević told the news conference on Thursday evening.

"The United States wholeheartedly supported Croatia’s acquisition of a NATO-compatible fourth generation aircraft from Israel, and worked to make this transfer a reality," according to a press release which the US Embassy in Croatia issued after given an exemption from Washington.

Due to the lapse in appropriations on December 21, the U.S. Embassy has been unable to publicly engage with any media. However, Washington has given the US Embassy in Croatia an exemption in order to issue the on-the-record response regarding the sale of Israeli F-16s to Croatia.

"As is common in these types of transfers, there are specific technical conditions that need to be in place to enable U.S. approval of the transfer. We were clear about those conditions throughout, and our December 27, 2018 approval of the transfer was consistent with that message." the US Embassy said.

"We remain committed to assisting the Republic of Croatia in its procurement of NATO-compatible combat aircraft," the embassy said.

Croatia was supposed to buy 12 Israeli F-16 C/D Barak fighter jets for an estimated 2.9 billion kuna payable over a ten year period. The US objected the sale of modified F-16 fighter jets to Croatia.

 More news on the relations between Croatia and the United States can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 11 (Hina) - Croatia's government stated on Thursday evening that it would cancel its decision on the purchase of F-16 jets for the national Air Force, after an Israeli delegation earlier in the day informed Zagreb that it had not managed to obtain the approval from the United States for the delivery of the upgraded used 12 planes to Croatia.

After a meeting on the matter which took place in the main offices of the Croatian defence ministry when the Israeli side officially notified Zagreb that it had not got the final approval from Washington, the delegation led by the Israeli defence ministry's director-general Udi Adam was received by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in Government House.

The government says in a press release that the ministry's director-general Adam informed PM Plenković that Israel had not managed to obtain the approval from the US the sale of the F-16 jets concerned.

Pursuant to the notification, the government is going to annul the decision on the purchase of those fighter jets, however, it remains committed to the plan to modernise the Croatian Air Force.

Croatia should have be provided by Israel with the 12 used F-16 jets, and those were airplanes originally from the USA and enhanced in Israel. Washington, however, did not okay the Third Party Transfer (TPT) for the revamped planes.

At the start of this year, Zagreb set a deadline for Israel to inform it by 11 January if it would be able "to deliver the aircraft offered at the international tender and chosen by the Republic of Croatia in a transparent procedure," the Croatian ministry stated.

"The State of Israel is responsible for obtaining the approval from the United States for the supply of the aircraft configured as agreed by the Republic of Croatia. Upon receipt of the official stand from the State of Israel, the Ministry will inform the Croatian public without delay," reads the press release issued on 4 January.

"In the event that due to disagreement between the State of Israel and the United States the Republic of Croatia does not obtain the aircraft, the Government of the Republic of Croatia will annul the decision on the procurement of the chosen multirole fighter aircraft (dated 29 March 2018)." Croatia has managed the project in a systematic, professional and transparent way, acting in the national interest, the ministry underscored then.

Israel has officially informed the Croatian Defence Ministry that it cannot obtain the approval of the United States for the delivery of F-16 Barak jets to Croatia, Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krstičević told reporters on Thursday.

After talks with our Israeli colleagues "I can tell you that the State of Israel has officially informed the Defence Ministry that ... it cannot obtain the necessary approval from the United States for the delivery of the Israeli F-16 fighter jets to Croatia," Krstičević told the news conference.

"Given that fact, the ministry will propose to the government to act accordingly," Krstičević said, adding that the two countries had not signed an agreement and that there are no financial consequences for Zagreb.

Krstičević stressed that Croatia "had done everything right" and that it was not at all responsible for this "unexpected complication" which Zagreb had no say in whatsoever. "We have asked all the questions and we have received appropriate guarantees," the minister said adding that Croatia "led this complex process from the beginning to the end systematically and responsibly, taking into account exclusively Croatian national interests."

He underscored that that the Croatian Defence Ministry remained opened to cooperation and development of relations with the defence ministry of "our partner, the State of Israel" and that Croatia still had the political will to maintain the ability of military air force developed during the Homeland War. "I am confident that this government will know how to realise that," he concluded.

The Israeli delegation at the talks, that lasted several hours, was led by the defence ministry's director-general Udi Adam who said that during the entire process Croatia and Israel had an open and professional dialogue. He said Croatia showed professionalism and right judgment in each step of the way and that it was unable to influence the outcome which is why it could not be held responsible for it.

Unfortunately, the conditions were not ready and we were unable to secure the appropriate TPT (Third Party Transfer)and carry out the project due to due to unexpected circumstances that were out of our control.

The meeting was arranged after the deal was halted due to disagreement between Israel and the U.S.A following the US objection to the sale of modified F-16 fighter jets to Croatia. The Israeli-US dispute has to do with who owns the technology and intellectual property rights.

More news on the acquisition of the F-16 jets can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 10, 2019 - President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović said on Wednesday that no non-paper exists warning of any problems concerning the procurement of Israeli F-16 fighter jets and that valuable time has been lost, adding that at the moment she doesn't see that anyone in Croatia is to blame for the problem in the procurement procedure.

"These days a lot of dust has been lifted. No non-paper exists to warn that there are problems with regard to Israel's or anyone else's bid. I and my office did not participate in the evaluation or reading of those bids but instead convened a meeting of the National Security Council where the expert commission presented all the offers and the best offer was selected, which was the Israeli one. A transcript of that meeting exists. If anyone has any doubts, I hereby approve declassification of the transcript to show that all the questions concerning any possible doubts were raised," the president said in the northwestern town of Čakovec.

"Together, with my colleagues, I raised all the relevant questions and proposed that, for the sake of transparency of the process, all the details of all four bids be made public and that citizens know what is involved. Considering that the countries involved requested that the details of the bids should not be made public, at least that's what I was told, they weren't made public. As such, this was the best bid," Grabar-Kitarović said.

She reiterated that she did not participate in the negotiations, except for general talks with her Israeli counterpart and with US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and his assistant.

She underscored that there were no indications of any problems and that everyone knew that it would be necessary to obtain approval for the transfer of the technology to a third party and that Israel undertook to do so while US officials assured that they wanted to confirm that there would not be any hidden costs for Croatia.

"I found out about the problems in November, but until then no one relevant had spoken about any problems regarding the transfer. Croatia cannot influence the disputes between the USA and Israel. I have been informed of everything by Minister Krstičević, who told me that an Israeli delegation is arriving on Thursday when Israel's decision will be known," she said.

The President emphasised that valuable time had been lost during the procurement process and that the Croatian Air Force was down to three MiG-21 jets. "The overhaul conducted in 2013 was an absolute failure. These are the reasons and questions we need to consider. Now, the most important thing is not only whether this deal will be concluded but also what we will do if it is not concluded. Obviously, we will have to launch a procurement procedure, depending on what we hear tomorrow. Croatia wants to keep its Air Force. We will have to launch a new procedure. There is no time. The MiGs are in a much worse state than they should have been. We'll have to be creative," Grabar-Kitarović said.

She added that at the moment she doesn't see that anyone in Croatia is to blame for these problems, adding that "we have to be realistic" and that "we cannot afford new, expensive jets."

"I trust that all this won't have any repercussions for our strategic relations and friendship with either of these countries," she said.

More news on the acquisition of F-16 fighter jets can be found in our Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 9, 2019 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in Zagreb on Wednesday that a meeting with representatives of the Israeli Defence Ministry on the delivery of Israeli F-16 fighter jets was scheduled for Thursday in Zagreb, and after the Israeli side notified Croatia about its position, the latter would decide on the matter.

"We will first see what officials of the Israeli Defence Ministry are going to tell us, and after that we can make pertinent decisions," Plenković told the press when asked about a probability for advertising a new tender for the procurement of fighter jets.

On 29 March 2018, the Croatian government unanimously adopted a decision on the procurement of 12 Israeli F-16 C/D Barak fighter jets that are supposed to cost Croatia 2.9 billion kuna over a ten-year period.

The Israeli bid included the delivery of 12 upgraded used Israeli F-16 fighter jets for about 420 million euros. The aircraft are between 25 and 30 years old and are supposed to replace the outdated MiG-21 aircraft used by the Croatian Air Force.

The Israeli bid also includes two flight simulators, training of pilots and maintenance staff, and weapons for the aircraft. The plan is to use these aircraft for up to 25 years.

The Israeli bid was one of the four. All the four bids for the procurement of multi-purpose combat aircraft, to replace the Croatian Air Force MiG 21 jets that have been in use since the 1991-1995 war, were opened at the Croatian Defence Ministry in Zagreb on 3 October 2017. The bids were presented by representatives of Greece, Israel, Sweden and the United States.

The aircraft to be purchased were various models of the F-16 jet, which have been offered by Greece, Israel and the USA and which are part of their air forces, and the JAS 39 Grippen fighter jet, manufactured by the Swedish concern SAAB. The Greeks and the Israelis offered used planes.

However, the process of the delivery of the Israeli planes was delayed due to disagreements between the U.S.A. and Israel over the matter.

On 7 December, the US Ambassador to Croatia, William R. Kohorst, commented on the problem regarding the sale of modified Israeli F-16 fighter jets to Croatia, saying that Israel has to accept the set technical requirements for the American side to agree to the sale of 12 fighter jets, adding that the debate has to do with who owns the rights to the technical and intellectual property.

Plenković reiterated today that as far as Croatia was concerned, the whole process was transparent and the Craotian side requested the checking of all information a few times. The decision on the choice of the Israeli offer was made on the basis of the information available then, Plenković underscored. Some of the information that has recently appeared was not known before, he added.

Plenković said that Croatia continued being firmly devoted to the maintenance of the capabilities of its Air Force. Everything else is a matter of technological offers and financial sustainability, he explained.

More news on the Croatian military can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 8, 2019 - The Defence Ministry on Monday reacted to media claims that a 'non-paper' exists warning Croatia about the USA not approving the sale of Israeli F-16 fighter jets to Croatia.

"The Defence Ministry files the documents it receives, and it has filed documents and correspondence with country bidders in the procurement procedure for multi-purpose fighter jets," the ministry said in a brief press release.

The Jutarnji List daily on Sunday claimed that the most senior state and military officials had "known at least a year ago about the USA's stance and conditions regarding the sale of Israeli's F-16 Barak fighter jets."

"Back in January 2018, the American side sent a non-paper to Croatia's senior officials in which it clearly noted all the obstacles to purchasing the Israeli jets. The news that the Croatian side, that is, the Office of the President, was informed of the problem was released on Friday by Velimir Bujanec on the Bujica current affairs programme. The American document arrived at the president's office in January last year, a source close to the president confirmed to Jutarnji List," the paper reported.

Ivana Crnić, a spokeswoman at President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović's office, on Monday told Hina that the president never received any document that could lead to the conclusion that there was any problem in the procurement of the Israeli jets.

More news on the F-16 sale can be found in our Politics section.