PRESIDENT CLINTON TELLS LAWMAKERS
OF EFFORTS TO RESOLVE F-16 ISSUEWashington -- President Clinton has assured his administration's efforts to reimburse Pakistan for the 28 F-16 aircraft Pakistan paid for but has never received.
His assurance came on August 14 in a reply to a letter from six congressmen headed by Congressman Dan Burton (R-Indiana) who reminded him that "our government has not yet resolved the outstanding issue of Pakistan's purchase of 28 F-16 aircraft costing over $ 600 million."
President Clinton said in his reply that "we are continuing to sell the 28 Pakistan F-16 aircraft to a third-country buyer. This is an effort which has taken time, but we remain committed to seeing it through. We will work with the Congress to help complete the process that was originally intended in the Brown Amendment."
In their letter to President Clinton on June 19, the Congressmen also drew the President's attention "to the continuing massive violation of human rights in [Indian-occupied] Kashmir by Indian forces" and urged the U.S. to devote greater attention to South Asia and facilitate a resolution of the Kashmir issue on the basis of the relevant U.N. resolutions and the wishes of the people of Kashmir.
The President responded by stating in his letter that "we have a unique opportunity to advance peace and security in the subcontinent and I want to seize the moment. We believe that [the Pakistan-India] dialogue should be sustained, deepened and broadened and we are committed to help advance it in any and all areas where we can be of assistance."
The President reiterated "our long-standing relationship with Pakistan has served the interests of our two countries for half a century. We need to build on this important legacy and assure that we have an even stronger bilateral partnership as we move into the 21st century."
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