Washington — The U.S. government's deepening rift with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and its effort to stop sales of military equipment to the Latin American nation are side-swiping one of Canada's leading aerospace firms.
Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department announced that it had refused an export licence for Spain to sell 12 transport and maritime surveillance planes to Venezuela, insisting the sale would "destabilize the region."
The Americans say the C-295 and CN-235 aircraft, produced by Spain's EADS-Casa, include U.S. technology and that without Washington's approval, the planes cannot be exported to a third party.
According to aviation experts and the Spanish government, the offending technology includes the C-295's engines, which are manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Canada at its facilities near Montreal. Pratt & Whitney is a subsidiary of U.S.-based United Technologies Corp.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060126.wxpratt26/BNStory/International/Well maybe we can sell some flour to Cuba?