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1)Pentagon plans first major military sale to Pakistan since sanctions lifted; State plans education and health aid Associated Press Wednesday, July 17, 2002 WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is planning to sell six cargo planes to Pakistan in the first major military sale since sanctions were lifted against the Asian nation for its cooperation in the counter-terror war. And the State Department laid out plans Wednesday for an increased aid program aimed at improving Pakistani education and health. The Department of Defense on Tuesday gave Congress the required notification of the possible sale of six C-130 cargo planes. ``This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country which has been and continues to be an important force for economic progress in South Asia,'' the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said late Tuesday. Pakistan needs the aircraft to improve airlift capabilities both for the needs of its own air force and ``as it seeks to support the U.S. government with Operation Enduring Freedom,'' the agency said in a statement using the code name for the war to oust Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network from Afghanistan. Pakistan has asked for six planes and associated equipment and services such as repair kits and training - a deal valued at up to $75 million if Pakistan exercises all options of the proposed sale. In recent years Pakistan has been under sanctions that barred U.S. economic and military assistance. The sanctions were lifted in September and October. Though there have been some relatively small transfers of military spare parts since then, the proposed $75 million deal is the largest. Congressional notification is required for transfers valued at more than $14 million. Bush in September dropped sanctions imposed on Pakistan and India after those two countries tested nuclear weapons in 1998. The sanctions barred economic and military assistance. Then in October, with legislative action needed to lift the last remaining sanctions, Congress voted to remove one that barred all foreign aid to Pakistan because of the 1999 military coup that brought to power Pakistan's current president, Pervez Musharraf. That move also facilitated the transfer of excess U.S. defense articles to Pakistan. Musharraf, a former supporter of the Taliban, has been a major U.S. partner in the war, sharing intelligence, allowing Americans to use several military bases, sending troops to try to block al-Qaida escape from Afghanistan at the border and so on. In doing so, Musharraf has drawn the wrath of violent Islamic extremists, who charge the government has bowed to the United States. There have also been attacks against Westerners in Pakistan. A June 14 car bombing outside the U.S. Consulate in Karachi killed 12 Pakistanis and injured 50. On May 8, a suicide bomber killed 11 French engineers and two other people in front of the Sheraton Hotel in Karachi. On March 17, a grenade attack on a church in Islamabad killed the attacker and four others, including two Americans. Among other rewards for Musharraf's cooperation was the rescheduling of $379 million in Pakistani debt. Also, a decade after halting operations to protest the country's nuclear weapons program, the State Department's U.S. Agency for International Development is resuming its multimillion dollar assistance program in Pakistan. The agency will give Pakistan $50 million in aid annually and hopes to raise the amount of assistance to $80 million by 2004, Mark Ward, a USAID official in charge of the operation, said Wednesday. Much of the aid is earmarked for improving quality and access to health and education services, while future efforts may be aimed at encouraging the growth of democracy. ``Obviously, the United States is very interested in showing its support for Pakistan in every way it can,'' Ward said at a press conference in the heavily guarded American Center in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital. ``What it has done in the fight against terrorism is tremendous,'' he said. 2)Pakistan focus of US aid, military sale By Pauline Jelinek, Associated Press, 7/18/2002 ASHINGTON - The Bush administration is planning a sizable military sale to Pakistan as well as new aid for the country that has become a key partner in the war against terrorism. The Pentagon deal would involve six cargo planes in what would be the first major military sale since sanctions were lifted last fall against Pakistan for its cooperation in the war against Al Qaeda and Taliban in Afghanistan. The US Agency for International Development laid out plans yesterday for an increased aid program intended to improve Pakistani education and health. ''Obviously, the United States is very interested in showing its support for Pakistan in every way it can,'' agency official Mark Ward said at a news conference in the heavily guarded American Center in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital. ''What it has done in the fight against terrorism is tremendous,'' he said. The Defense Department on Tuesday gave Congress the required notification of the possible sale of six C-130 cargo planes and related equipment and services valued at up to $75 million. ''This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country, which has been and continues to be an important force for economic progress in South Asia,'' the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said. Pakistan needs the planes to improve airlift capabilities both for the needs of its own air force and ''as it seeks to support the US government with Operation Enduring Freedom,'' the agency said in a statement, using the code name for the drive to oust Al Qaeda from Afghanistan. 3)US favours army role in Pak civilian govt Press Trust of India Islamabad, July 18: The United States would support a functional role for the military under the democratic civilian rule in Pakistan, a US government report said on Thursday. This comes a day after US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced an ambitious $555 million grant to nurture development and democracy in the country. The report, excerpts of which were published in daily News on Thursday, however, did not detail the modalities of the support the US government envisaged for the military. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! 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