From Our Special Corresppndent
WASHINGTON: - The Bush Administration said Monday that it's planned sale of up to 36 advanced F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan demonstrates the United States' commitment to a long-term relationship with Islamabad.
The proposed weapons package, including the sale of 18 new "Fighting Falcon" fighters with an option for 18 more, was worth more than $5 billion, White House Spokesman Tony Snow told a news briefing.
The State Department said it was part of a drive to broaden a strategic partnership with Pakistan and advance U.S. interests in South Asia.
The new F-16 C/D Block 50/52 aircraft would be used for close air support in the U.S.-declared global war on terrorism, among other things, the Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency said in a notice to Congress. The agency, responsible for government-to-government arms sales, said the fighters would be worth $3 billion if all options were exercised.
"This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping an ally meet its legitimate defence requirements," the Pentagon said in the notice.
The proposed sale includes upgrades for Pakistan's fleet of 34 earlier model F-16s and a support package for up to 26 refurbished F-16s that Pakistan eventually may buy, Snow said.
These 60 "mid-life upgrade" kits -- which would improve on-board radar and make it possible to carry more precision-guided weapons -- could be worth as much as $1.3 billion, the Pentagon told Congress in one of four related notices dated June 28 and made public on Monday.
Once notified, Congress has 30 days to block such a sale. It is not expected to do so in light of Pakistan's strategic importance to the United States. Consultations with Congress have been under way since last year, Snow said.
In March 2005, the United States said it would resume sales of F-16s to Pakistan after a 16-year break intended to sanction Pakistan for its nuclear program.
Formal notification coincided with initial votes in Congress for the administration's plan to create a broad nuclear cooperation agreement with India, Pakistan's archrival, that reverses decades of U.S. policy.
Pakistan initially had asked about buying as many as 75 new F-16s and 11 refurbished ones, Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kohler, head of the Pentagon's security cooperation agency, told Reuters in May 2005. The deal was scaled back after the October 8, 2005, earthquake that killed more than 73,000 people.
U.S. weapons that would equip the F-16s include 500 AIM-120C5 advanced medium range air-to-air missiles and 200 AIM-9M-8/9 "Sidewinder" heat-seeking missiles, both built by Raytheon Co., as well as 500 satellite-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions made by Boeing Co., the notice to Congress said.
India objected to the sale before it was made public. "We can reiterate our position that this step is not conducive to improving ties between India and Pakistan," Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters in New Delhi.
Washington has offered India a chance to buy F-16s or Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighter as part of a deal that could cement a sea change in U.S.-India ties since the end of the Cold War.
Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon's biggest supplier, said the proposed sale to Pakistan could mean an extension of the F-16 production line beyond 2009.
Lockheed spokeswoman Catherine Hernandez-Blades said that if all options were exercised the company could sustain more than an additional 1,200 jobs in Texas, where the F-16 is assembled. On June 28 the Administration notified the U.S. Congress of its intent to sell F-16 aircraft to Pakistan. The proposed sale includes 18 new F-16 aircraft with an option to purchase another 18 new aircraft, a support package for up to 26 used F-16s, a munitions package, an upgrade package for Pakistan's current fleet of 34 F-16s, and logistical support.Pakistan is a Major Non-NATO Ally, which has cooperated closely with us in the Global War on Terror, the White House said. "This proposed sale demonstrates our commitment to a long-term relationship with Pakistan. The proposed package is valued at approximately $5 billion. The Administration has been consulting with Congress on this sale since the spring of 2005."
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