Pak negotiating conditions attached to F-16 deal

Islamabad, Sep 27: Pakistan is negotiating over strict conditions attached by the United States to a proposed multi-billion dollar deal to supply the Pakistani air force with F-16 warplanes, defence officials said today.

The Bush administration formally notified Congress on June 28 of plans to sell Pakistan up to 36 new ''Fighting Falcon'' warplanes, and the formal sale agreement was expected to have been signed by end-August.

The proposed sale had included upgrades for Pakistan's fleet of 34 earlier model F-16s and a support package for up to 26 refurbished F-16s that Pakistan may eventually buy.

''Negotiations are on and once the details are sorted out, further progress will be made,'' Air Commodore Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan, spokesman of for the Pakistan Air Force, said.

Washington has demanded what it calls unprecedented steps to stop the technology of the advanced F-16s, their spare parts and munitions from falling into the hands of third countries -- notably China, which has close military ties to Pakistan.

Mr John Hillen, the Assistant Secretary of State for political-military affairs, told Congress on July 20 the United States had also proposed that F-16 flights outside Pakistani air space, including for exercises with other countries, must be approved by the U.S. government in advance.

Hillen said the transfer of technology safeguards inserted in the contract were ''unprecedented''.

Lockheed Martin Corp builds the F-16, but Boeing Co. Raytheon Co Northrop-Gumman Corp and General Electric Co, are other principal contractors involved in the deal.

Mr Hillen, in his testimony to the House of Representatives' International Relations Committee, also disclosed that the United States was withholding unspecified technologies ''that would usually go with an F-16,'' including ones that would let it ''be used in offensive ways to penetrate air space of another country that was highly defended''.

Pakistan's Air Chief, Air Chief Marshal, Tanvir Mahmood Khan, said in an interview with The News daily last Friday: ''We are quite satisfied with the current F-16 proposal.'' ''Notwithstanding the ongoing F-16 negotiations, every aircraft deal has preconditions. Mostly these pertain to restrictions on transfer of technology, more akin to copyright laws,'' he added.

Though the air force spokesperson did not specify the terms and conditions under negotiation, other officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested more talking was needed on the conditions set by Washington before Pakistan is fully satisfied.

In his testimony Mr Hillen highlighted that Pakistan's F-16 fleet and its munitions would be segregated from aircraft supplied by other countries, so that unauthorised engineers could not get access to the US planes.

He also said US personnel would carry out inventories of the F-16s and their associated systems every six months.

Reuters