On Thursday, he said: “I have been personally assured at the highest levels of the Indian Government that the procurement process for this aircraft has been and will be transparent and fair.”
Roemer’s resignation came a day after New Delhi short-listed Rafale of French Dassault Aviation and Eurofighter Typhoon of an European consortium and asked their manufacturers to extend their bids.
In a separate statement, he said the US would look forward to continuing to grow and develop “our defence partnership with India and remain convinced that the US offered its defence partners around the globe the world’s most advanced and reliable technology. I am extremely confident that the Boeing F/A 18IN and Lockheed-Martin F-16IN would provide the Indian Air Force an unbeatable platform with proven technologies at a competitive price.” The American Embassy did not link Roemer’s resignation with the decision of the Indian Government.
Published 28 April 2011, 19:11 IST