960418

Hopes about getting

F-16s given up

SIKANDER HAYAT

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has given up all hopes, near or distant, of getting the F-16s from the United States and now its government's efforts are exclusively directed at retrieving the maximum possible refunds.

In one word, "NO" was Foreign Secretary Najmuddin Shaikh's reply to a reporter's question: Could he say in terms of yes or no if at the end of the tunnel there is a chance of Pakistan getting the F-16s it has paid for.

This position, spelt out by the foreign secretary, was apparently different from the stated thesis of its dialogue with Washington that it should give the planes or refund the payments. Now that refunds are being calculated, Shaikh anticipates Pakistan will get in excess of what it thought it would.

Foreign secretary also discussed the outcome of visits of Iranian Foreign Minister Velayati and US State Department official Robin Raphel, the Afghan situation and India's decision to expel the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) representatives from the Held Kashmir.

He said consequent to the recent talks in Washington Pakistan will 124 million dollars as the excess thrown up by the process of reconciliation of accounts in 101 cases out of the total of 221. But he could not say what would be the final figure of excess amount that Pakistan will get.

He said the equipment worth 368 million dollars is being returned to Pakistan consequent to the enactment of the Brown Amendment out of which service-wise equipment-worth share is Army 151 million, Airforce 98 million and Navy 77 million. Shaikh hoped that the "usuable" equipment will start reaching Pakistan in six to eight weeks.

Experts will determine which of the equipment being released is "usuable" by the Pakistan Armed Forces and the rest will not be brought here.

The foreign secretary described the current status of implementation of the Brown Amendment as "partial", saying cooperation, as envisaged by the Brown Amendment, in other areas like provision of OPIC, economic assistance and military training are subject to the Symengton law, which is also be deliberated upon in Washington.

He could not say categorically if Pakistan will seek legal remedy to refusal of the delivery of F-16s, saying all options would be explored, when required.

Najmuddin Shaikh said during her visit Robin Raphel discussed with Pakistani officials the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and alleged supply of ring magnets by China to Pakistan, in addition to regional situation including Afghanistan.

He said Pakistan conveyed its anxiety to US to expeditiously conclude the CTBT, however, giving its own perceptions as to what should be scope of inspections of nuclear facilities. Pakistan also pointed out the Indian objections to the test ban treaty efforts, which, it thinks are aimed at sabotaging the while exercise.

Robin Raphel will leave for Kabul on Friday and after visiting there will go to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Russia, pursuance of the United States renewed strategic and economic interests in the region.

Shaikh said though Robin Raphel and the Iranian foreign minister happened to be in Islamabad at the same time they did not meet, nor Velayati even mentioned to Shaikh in his talks if Robin Raphel was at that time in Pakistan.

The foreign secretary said Velayati had told him the convergence that has developed in the positions of Iran and Pakistan over Afghanistan was the closest in the last 15 years.

The Foreign Secretary betrayed Pakistan's softening towards the Rabbani regime and said that his apology over the embassy burning incident was acceptable but ruled out reopening the mission in near future. He said the building is not in a position that mission should start working. He also denied reports that instead of Qazi Humayun some other ambassador is being sent to Kabul.

Najmuddin welcomed the emerging contacts between the Taliban and the Iranian authorities but would not recognise Taliban chief Maulvi Omar as the "Amirul Momumneen" of entire Afghanistan. Omar had declared himself to be the Amirul Momumneen of Afghanistan.

The Foreign Secretary dispelled the impression that Afghan warlord Rashid Dostum had gone to United States on the urgings of Islamabad. Dostum visited there as the guest of a Houston-based company which have interests in the area in his control, he added.

He said Indian move to expel ICRC is indicative of New Delhi's designs to prevent the presence of independent observers in the Held Kashmir so that it could carry out repression with impunity.