Turkey Opposes NATO Libya Intervention: PM

ISTANBUL - Turkey on March 14 reiterated its opposition to NATO intervention in Libya, warning it would trigger dangerous consequences.
"Military intervention by NATO in Libya or any other country would be totally counter-productive," the Anatolia news agency quoted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying during an address here at an international forum.

"In addition to being counter-productive, such an operation could have dangerous consequences."
Turkey, a NATO member, has made it clear that the 28-member military alliance can intervene only when one of its members is attacked.
President Abdullah Gul on Monday echoed Erdogan's view, saying: "A direct NATO intervention in Libya is out of the question."
"The people, government and opposition in Libya do not want a foreign force in the country," Anatolia quoted Gul as saying.
The president added that an intervention would require a U.N. resolution "within the framework of international legitimacy."
During a visit to Germany late last month, Erdogan said a NATO intervention in Libya would be "unthinkable" and "absurd".
He also raised strong objections to imposing sanctions on Libya, saying innocent people would suffer and accusing world powers of making "calculations" over oil.
NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen meanwhile said early this month that the alliance did not intend to intervene in oil-rich Libya but was planning for "all eventualities".
He has insisted that the U.N. Security Council would have to approve any military action in Libya, including the enforcement of a no-fly zone.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization appeared divided meanwhile on the usefulness of such a measure as well as the idea - attributed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy - to launch air strikes in Libya.
The organization decided to reinforce its naval presence in an area near Libya, and assess the humanitarian aid that the United Nations could request.
The no fly-zone issue is to figure prominently as a two-day ministerial session of G8 powers gets under way in Paris.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and their counterparts from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan are taking part.

Canada Opposition Unhappy With F-35's Costs

OTTAWA - Canada significantly overpaid for new fighter jets jointly developed with the United States and its allies, a parliamentary watchdog said March 10.
Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page said in a report that Canada should expect to dole out as much as C$29.3 billion ($30 billion) for the purchase and maintenance of 65 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter over 30 years.

The estimate is nearly double the amount suggested by the government, and opposition parties pounced on the report to criticize Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives.
The Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jet, set to replace a large part of the U.S. and Canadian warplane fleets, has become the most expensive weapons program ever, drawing increased scrutiny at a time of tight public finances.
The fifth-generation fighter was built with features designed to help avoid enemy radar and ensure supremacy in the skies for decades.
But it has been criticized for a series of cost overruns and delays, and now there is potential competition from China, which in January unveiled its first radar-evading combat aircraft.
At the same time, the contract awarded in 2001 had been planned to last 10 years, but has been extended to 2016 because of testing and design issues.
The United States is covering 90 percent of its development costs but has participation from Britain, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Australia and Canada.
Other nations, including Israel and Singapore, have signed contracts to buy the plane.
Canada's main opposition Liberals, which committed to the F-35 program when in power in 1997, are now using the lack of open competition to replace Canada's aging fleet of fighter jets to press for a change in government.
Jay Paxton, spokesman for Defense Minister Peter MacKay, however stood by the government's procurement cost projections of C$9 billion ($9.2 billion) to buy and C$250-300 million ($256-308 million) annually to maintain over 20 years.
"The F-35 is the only jet that can meet the needs of the Air Force, as noted by Mr. Page," Paxton added. "Simply put, this is the best plane for the best price."

U.K., Canada Discuss Joint Frigate Development

LONDON - Britain is in talks with Canada about a possible joint program to develop a frigate for their respective navies, according to U.K. Defence Minister Gerald Howarth.

Responding to questions from parliamentarians Jan. 31, Howarth said the British government is in "close discussion with the Canadians" on a possible collaborative program to develop the Global Combat Ship, destined to replace Type 23 frigates in Royal Navy service by the start of the next decade.
The minister said Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Turkey have expressed interest in the warship program, to be called the Type 26 in Royal Navy service, when Defence Secretary Liam Fox recently visited the various countries.
The British government is mounting a major effort to increase defense exports in the next few years to offset the downturn in military budgets at home, and has identified the Global Combat Ship as a key platform for a collaborative effort with Commonwealth and other allies.
BAE Systems has been working since last year on a 127 million-pound ($202 million) assessment phase to provide a warship capable of supporting land operations and conducting other roles, such as anti-submarine warfare.
Last year, the company, supported by the government, made proposals to Brazil to build up naval capabilities, including joint development of the Global Combat Ship. Italy, France and others have also shown an interest in the Brazilian program.

Gates, Canadian Defense Minister Defend F-35

OTTAWA - U.S. and Canadian defense chiefs on Jan. 27 vigorously defended the F-35 fighter jet program, despite criticism over costs and technical delays.
Amid a partisan feud in Canada over the government's plans to buy the stealth warplanes, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the continued support of Ottawa and seven other international partners for the project was "very important."

"My hope is that for all of our sakes that all of the partners cooperate to move forward with us on this program," Gates told a joint press conference with his Canadian counterpart, Defense Minister Peter MacKay.
The Pentagon sees foreign partners as crucial to keeping costs under control for the radar-evading fighter, which has been dogged by rising costs and technical glitches.
Gates cited steps taken last year to rectify problems with the F-35 and said he was now satisfied with the program's progress, saying there were no cost increases for the program this year.
MacKay accused critics of the plane of playing a political "game" and warned that scrapping the purchase of 65 F-35 fighter jets could mean grounding Canada's air force in 2020.
The F-35 fighter, billed as the backbone of the future U.S. combat air fleet, has become the most expensive weapons program ever and is now expected to cost the United States $382 billion, for 2,443 aircraft.
The two defense chiefs also discussed the war in Afghanistan, where Canada plans to withdraw combat forces from the south in July.
MacKay said Canada was scouting locations near Kabul to host 950 military trainers, as it continues talks with Washington and NATO about what sort of training is required.
Canada plans to send the military trainers to a base in Kabul until 2014 in a non-combat role to advise Afghan soldiers.
Canadian troops have spent nearly nine years fighting insurgents as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, a mission that has claimed the lives of more than 150 Canadian soldiers.
The two also said they discussed expanding Canada-U.S. military cooperation in the Arctic and offering joint maritime security assistance to Caribbean allies.
Gates was due to meet both his Canadian and Mexican counterparts but Mexico's secretary of national defense, Gen. Guillermo Galvan Galvan, could not attend due to illness.
An earlier attempt at a three-way meeting of the defense chiefs in July had to be called off because of violence in Mexico.

Canada Signs Deal For New Radar Systems

OTTAWA - Canada on Jan. 25 announced a C$55.6 million ($55.7 million) contract to modernize two military radar systems said to play a major role in defending North American airspace.
The deal, announced by Defense Minister Peter MacKay, is part of a major effort by Canada to upgrade its Air Force, a drive that includes the acquisition of new F-35 fighter jets.

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The radars will replace aging systems in Alberta and Quebec, providing "long-range air surveillance and aerospace control capability" in support of military operations in Canada and abroad, a statement said.
They will be delivered starting in February 2013.
MacKay also announced the purchase of 14 aircraft cargo loaders for C$5.6 million ($5.6 million) from TLD America.