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Pakistan PM lauds US fighter planes decision

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, March 26, IRNA
Pakistan-US planes
Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Saturday lauded the US decision to sell F-16 fighter planes to Pakistan and described it as a "red-letter day" for the Pakistan Air Force.

The US government has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, which is a reward for Pakistan for its role in the so-called war on terrorism.

"The US decision is good and very important, as my government believes that armed forces should have credible equipment," the Prime Minister told the Pakistani Air Force cadets in Risalpur, a military cantonment, some 120 kilometers northwest of capital Islamabad.

According to reports, the US President George W Bush Friday informed the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the decision.

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the prime minister expressed 'great disappointment' over the decision, adding the move would exacerbate India's security concerns.

Aziz said that the US administration has accepted Pakistan's request for the sale of F-16 planes and that it has informed the Congress of the decision.

He also said a strong and professional Air Force was vital in determining the outcome of a conflict. He however reiterated; "We have no aggressive designs but will protect country's integrity at all costs."
Pakistan, he said, believes in peace and wishes to live in harmony with its neighbours.

The US decision is seen as a change in its policy, which blocked the sale in 1990 over Pakistan's nuclear weapons program.

Pakistan struck a deal with the US for the fighter planes in the late 1980s, but Washington blocked the sale in 1990 as a sanction against Pakistan's nuclear weapons program.

The move is part of a five-year, $3-billion assistance program, announced by President Bush during President Musharraf's visit to the US.

Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Ahmed Rashid said the decision would promote the image of the US in Pakistan.

TK/1422
::IRNA No.013 26/03/2005 14:34 --End