Saturday, Feb 03, 2007
International
Cobra copters for Pakistan http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/03/stories/2007020318481400.htm
Nirupama Subramanian
Part of five-year security assistance programme
[- Photo: AP ARMING PAKISTAN: U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan Crocker (right) hands over the Cobra helicopter to Pakistan at a function in Rawalpindi on Friday. To his right are Pakistan Secretary of Defence Tariq Waseem Ghazi and Maj. Gen. Javed Aslam, Commander of Aviation Assets in the Pakistani Army.]
ISLAMABAD: The United States on Friday handed over eight Cobra helicopter gunships to Pakistan.
The gunships are the first lot of a total 40 Cobras that the U.S. is gifting to Pakistan as part of the five-year security assistance programme that began in 2003.
Handing over the helicopters to the Pakistan Army Aviation at a ceremony in Rawalpindi, the U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker described Pakistan as a strategic partner for his country and hoped that this partnership would continue.
Strategic partners
"We are partners in war on terror. We support each other as we are strategic partners," he said.
The envoy said the U.S. would also soon deliver the F-16 aircraft that it has sold to Pakistan.
The U.S. embassy here has also reassured Pakistan about a proposed legislation adopted by the House of Representatives making military assistance to Islamabad conditional on its cooperation in the ``war on terror."
In a statement on Thursday, the embassy said the administration of President George W. Bush did not support the current form of the proposed law. "While the administration supports the underlying intent of the bill, it has serious concerns with several of the bill's provisions."
The U.S. embassy said the bill, "Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007" adopted by the new Democrat-dominated House of Representatives in January, could undermine counter-terrorism efforts with Pakistan.
"The Government of Pakistan has continued to demonstrate its commitment to cooperating with the U.S. Such conditionality would be counter-productive to fostering a closer relationship with Pakistan," the embassy said.
The embassy said that the Bush administration "looked forward to working with Congress on this bill to ensure the enactment of legislation that promotes the safety and security of the U.S. and its allies".
The statement came after Pakistan expressed concern over the language of the bill and said it expected the Bush administration to intervene and make it more "balanced."
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