The cabinet is to discuss the carriers on Wednesday, he added. The weekly Euro wrote on its server last week that the military would eventually buy only 107 Pandurs from Steyr. "It is true that the number will be reduced," Bartak confirmed to CTK today. The Czech government abrogated the original contract with Steyr for the supply of 199 Pandurs worth 20 billion crowns late last year, citing Steyr's failure to fulfil its commitments. After studying an analysis of the Defence Ministry, the government has recently given another chance to the Austrians.
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Finnish Patria wants to negotiate on APCs for Czech army - press ... draft memorandum the text of which the Defence Ministry is negotiating with Steyr at present, Bartak said. The draft memorandum includes an agreement on tests to check the technical parameters of the vehicles, Bartak added. The memorandum does not, however, mean that the Czech Republic will reach an agreement with Steyr, Bartak said. "It does not mean any new contract," he said. According to Euro, the fact that the Czech Republic is continuing negotiations with Steyr may be influenced by the alternative that the U.S. owners of the Austrian firm might launch an arbitration dispute. Bartak, however, dismissed the allegation that the Czech Republic was in an disadvantageous legal position. He reitereated that the main reason for the abrogation of the contract was the fact that Steyr failed to supply the APCs as contracted. "The project was gigantic in its beginning and was not prepared well," Bartak said. He added that the price per APC should not rise against the original contract. The Defence Ministry has been negotiating with Steyr for several weeks. During the talks, the Czech Republic insisted on the fulfilment of some technical parameters of the APCs. Representatives of both the ministry and Steyr have also set up expert commissions that have been examining the legal as well as technical aspects of the possible deal.
(Ceske Noviny)
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