India Warns Rumsfeld Against U.S. Arms Sales to Pakistan

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld met with his Indian counterpart Thursday amid warnings from New Delhi that the proposed U.S. sale of arms to Pakistan could damage the fragile peace negotiations between the two longtime South Asian rivals.

In a briefing after his meeting with Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Rumsfeld made a short statement in which he said that the United States and India would “develop a stronger and stronger cooperative relationship.” Rumsfeld took no questions.

A day earlier, Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh told parliament, “We have pointed out that the supply of arms to Pakistan at a time when the India-Pakistan dialogue is at a sensitive stage would have a negative impact.”

On Thursday, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said that at the meeting with Rumsfeld, “concern was expressed from our side about the repercussions from the arms supplies on the ongoing India-Pakistan peace process.”

Rumsfeld also met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Singh.

Briefing reporters, an Indian spokesman said Rumsfeld told the nation’s leaders that the Bush administration understood New Delhi’s sensitivity to the possible arms sales to Pakistan, with which it has fought three wars.

The spokesman quoted Rumsfeld as saying that “the U.S. did not envisage relations with India and Pakistan as a zero sum game and it was the U.S. objective to have good relations with both countries.”

The spokesman said it was pointed out to Rumsfeld that Indo-U.S. relations had shifted during President Bush’s first term and that India now perceived Washington as a strategic partner.

Bush met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday in Washington, where discussions included the possible sale to Pakistan of as many as 25 F-16 fighter jets, which cost about $25 million each.

India was expected to discuss the possible purchase of the Patriot missile system during Rumsfeld’s visit, which began late Wednesday. The Patriot can defend against ballistic and cruise missiles and aircraft.

In November, the Pentagon announced that it had notified Congress of a possible sale of $1.2 billion in arms to Pakistan, including 2,000 advanced TOW antitank missiles, six Phalanx Gatling guns to protect naval ships and eight Orion P-3C surveillance aircraft, which could be armed with air-to-ground missiles.

Rumsfeld said his 90-minute meeting with Mukherjee encompassed “all aspects of defense relationship.”

“We have discussed all of it ... tons of things that were important to our two ministries,” Rumsfeld said.

He invited Mukherjee to visit the United States “for additional and more leisurely discussions.”