Just for info…
US supplies arms to Pak to fight terror
Press Trust of India
Washington, October 2
American arms are “flowing” into Pakistan to enable it to fight terror while the issue of supplying F-16 fighter planes to Islamabad is “still on the table,” US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said.
“There have been deliveries of helicopters recently and night vision equipment. There are more helicopters in the queue. We have gotten now a steady stream of dependable funding to help the Pakistani armed forces… We realise they need the proper equipment, so we have embarked on a five-year programme of support,” he said in an interview to Pakistan’s Geo TV, text of which was released by the State Department.
“So I think there has been a lot of progress. The lack of equipment doesn’t come up so often in our discussions with our Pakistani friends these days because the stuff is flowing,” he said when asked whether there has been any progress on Pakistan’s demand for “some military equipment” to fight terror.
On the issue of F-16s, Armitage said: “It is still on the table and we have had discussions with the Pakistani authorities about these matters, and I will leave it right there.”
“From my point of view,” he said, “we have a clear understanding of the (Pakistani) Air Force needs, we have a clear understanding of President (Pervez) Musharraf’s priorities for his armed forces, and we will continue to work together as good partners should.”
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