Le JSF britannique ? « We're just about fed up »

La polémique UK-USA sur le JSF ayant atteint la grande presse, Time Magazine nous en donne quelques nouvelles dans son édition du 3 avril. Elles sont loin d’être excellentes. Quelques extraits du texte, composé à l’occasion du passage de Condi Rice dans une usine britannique qui sous-traite des éléments du JSF, nous en donnent le climat. Pas du tout optimiste.

« A dispute over a jet fighter is threatening to drive a rare wedge between London and Washington, straining the alliance at a time when Britain and the U.S. would seem to need each other more than ever. (...)

» A U.S. official says the Pentagon has concerns about sharing the high-end security software needed for the JSF with companies abroad. “If we could give the codes to the British government and not to a British company, that would be one thing,” he says. But such arguments only reinforce the rising doubts in the minds of some British officials about the solidity of the underlying Britain-U.S. alliance. “We've long had troubles with Washington not considering us a full, trustworthy partner,” says a British government source. “The JSF is only the most potent symbol.”

» British Defense Secretary John Reid, who is scheduled to visit Washington next week, is expected to raise the issue once again. The British, though, aren't hopeful that he will have much success. It's unclear how far London might be willing to go to show its displeasure. Blair has yet to complain to Bush in their weekly videoconferences. But a British official says, “We're just about fed up.” »

Mis en ligne le 6 avril 2006 à 08H55