Italian minister defends F-35 jet purchase on eve of tense vote

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/25/us-italy-politics-f-idUSBRE95O12Q20130625



Italian minister defends F-35 jet purchase on eve of tense vote
By Paolo Biondi and Steve Scherer
ROME | Tue Jun 25, 2013 1:06pm EDT

(Reuters) - Italy's cash-strapped government plans to go ahead with purchasing 90 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, Defense Minister Mario Mauro said on Tuesday, ahead of a vote that risks splitting the ruling coalition.

The lower house of parliament is due to vote on Wednesday on a motion, presented last month by opposition groups and some members of Prime Minister Enrico Letta's centre-left Democratic Party (PD), that calls on Italy to drop the fighter investment.

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Last year, Italy cut its F-35 order to 90 warplanes from the 131 it had agreed to buy more than a decade ago, a move it said would save 5 billion euros as it sought to reduce Defense spending to shore up its accounts during the economic slump.

With the country still in recession, the money saved by eliminating a single F-35 could be used to build 387 day care centers or renovate 258 schools, according to the motion signed by 158 lawmakers who want to scrap the deal.



unhappycamper comment: It's a guns or butter debate. I vote butter.