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Pakistan I: F-16s Will Not Be Included in Proposed Aid Package, Bush Says By Mike Nartker After a meeting with Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf today at Camp David, Bush announced that he would seek congressional support for a five-year, $3 billion economic and security assistance package. Of that $3 billion, half would go to defense-related matters, Bush said. The sale of F-16s though, which has long been a sticking point in U.S.-Pakistani relations, would not be included, he said. “In the package that we discussed … half of that money goes for defense matters, of which the F-16 won’t be a part,” Bush said. “Nevertheless, we want to work closely with our friend to make sure that the package meets the needs of the Pakistan people,” he added. In the late 1980s, Pakistan ordered 28 F-16s, but the United States embargoed arms sales to Pakistan in the early 1990s because it could no longer certify that Islamabad did not possess nuclear weapons. Improvements in U.S.-Pakistani relations following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Islamabad’s increased role in the war on terrorism, however, spurred Bush to lift the embargo and increased speculation that the fighters would be provided. Musharraf today praised the proposed aid package, saying it “exemplifies the U.S. commitment” to long-term involvement with Pakistan. “We look forward to diverse programs of cooperation in the economic, commercial, political and the defense sector,” Musharraf said. “We also expect greater people-to-people contact and close interaction between the parliaments of the two countries to promote the cause of democracy,” he said. In addition to the new financial aid package, Bush and Musharraf discussed the need to stop cross-border terrorism in the disputed province of Kashmir — a potential flashpoint between India and Pakistan. Bush praised both Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee for recent moves to reduce tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries. Both Bush and Musharraf said that the issue of Kashmir would have to be addressed in any larger Indian-Pakistani peace efforts, with Musharraf saying Kashmir was a “core issue.” Musharraf reportedly last week criticized Indian suggestions that the topic of Kashmir be one of several issues discussed in any talks (see GSN, June 19). In addition, Bush said, the United States would remain actively involved in seeking peace in South Asia. “I assured the president that the United States will do all we can to promote peace,” he said. Ultimately, however, peace and stability in South Asia will be dependent on India and Pakistan themselves, Bush said. “The truth of the matter is, for there to be a final agreement, it’s going to require leadership from the both the Pakistan government and the Indian government,” he said.
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