Rumsfeld talks to Gen on F-16 deal

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf discussed Pakistan’s purchase of US F-16 aircraft among a...

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf discussed Pakistan’s purchase of US F-16 aircraft among a range of issues, a senior US Defence official said on Thursday.

The United States recently lifted a 15-year ban on supply of F-16 fighters to Pakistan, a major ally in the US-led war on terrorism launched after the September 11 attacks.

The US official, briefing reporters on board Rumsfeld’s aircraft as he travelled to Kyrgystan on Thursday, said no decision had been made on the number of F-16s Pakistan would buy, or when they might be delivered.

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US Air Force Lieutenant General Jeff Kohler, head of the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which handles foreign arms sales, was in Pakistan on Thursday to discuss the F-16 purchase, said the official, who declined to be identified.

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