Jon
Korean Citizen
Joined: Mar 19, 2004
Posts: 509
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 Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 2:47 am Post subject: Seoul denies U.S. pressure over copter |
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South Korea's Defense Ministry denied a claim Thursday that it was under U.S. pressure to pick a U.S. firm to supply three presidential helicopters.
Speculation has it that U.S. President George W. Bush had pressed South Korea to award its helicopter procurement project to Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, ahead of Seoul's official selection later this month.
Bush reportedly made the request at a summit last month with President Roh Moo-hyun on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Chile, and South Korea allegedly had already selected Sikorsky under the pressure.
Such speculation is totally groundless. We have dealt with it in a fair manner, a ministry spokesman said. We will make a final decision in mid-December, he said.
A certain bidder appeared deliberately to have spread the speculation in a bid to win the contract, the official said.
Sikorsky's S-92 is in heated competition with EH-101 of AgustaWestland, a joint Anglo-Italian company, for the project, which is worth $105 million, officials said. |
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