US 'observing how Pak uses American weapons'

Mindful of India's concerns over Pakistan misusing American weapons against it, the United States on Tuesday said it was 'clearly observing' how these arms were being used even as it expressed its commitment to combating the Lashkar-e-Tayiba- Al Qaeda syndicate in its entirety.

US Under Secretary for Defence Michele Flournoy told mediapersons in New Delhi that the Obama administration was 'mindful of these concerns as we take steps to support the equipping of Pakistan for the current counter insurgency and counter terrorism purposes.'

The US held frank discussion with Pakistan about the purposes and application of the systems and it was 'clearly observing' how these were used, apart from having choices of what they would provide and not provide, she said.

"There is a clear emphasis on supporting their (Pakistan's) efforts on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border," she said.

Flourney refused to take a question on the role of Inter Services Intelligence in supporting terror groups, as reflected in the US secret security documents leaked on Wikileaks website, but said the US had 'a strong interest in fighting terrorism in all its forms.'

"We see a strong connection between the LeT and the Al Qeada. This is a syndicate we are committed to combating in its entirety," she said, adding the US was strongly committed in building cooperation on this and that there was no difference of view on combating terror.

Flournoy, however, said that since the time terror has struck Pakistan's cities, the US has seen a 'shift in the political will' reflected in its anti-terror operations in South Waziristan and SWAT regions.

"We are clear-eyed on the status of that effort and we will continue to deal with the terror groups and we need to carry on against the full syndicate of terror network," she said.

India has time and again expressed its concerns to US officials over the possibility of American weapons supplied to Pakistan being misused to enhance conventional war fighting capabilities, creating an imbalance in the South Asian region.

Union Defence Minister A K Antony had clearly conveyed these apprehensions during his discussions with US National Security Advisor James Jones and Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen during their visits to India recently. Antony had also sought a monitoring mechanism to prevent diversion of American weapons by Pakistan against India.

On the possible supply of unmanned aerial vehicles to Pakistan in the near future, Flournoy said Islamabad had sought help in intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance capability in its counter terrorism campaign and the US was considering supply of short range, unarmed UAVs such as 'Shadow' and 'ScanEagle' UAVs for the purpose.

Flournoy, during her visit in New Delhi, had met Antony, National Security Adviser Shivsankar Menon and Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar.

She said the two sides had focused on expanding the cooperation in the field of maritime security such as anti-piracy, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, apart from enhancing defence trade, training and exercises.

They also discussed the US visit of Antony next month on an invitation from his counterpart Robert Gates, the visit of President Barack Obama in November and Defence Planning Group meeting this winter, when the two sides would look at firming up the already growing defence relations.

Flournoy, to a query on the difficulties in India and US signing pending agreements such as the Logistics Support and Communication Interoperability Security, said she had discussed these with Indian officials, adding that these deals were aimed at enabling supply of latest, advanced technology.

"What these agreements enable is the supply of advanced, latest technology to India. Unless these agreements are in place, what India would get is technology that is less advanced by nature," she said.

The US under secretary of state, who advises Gates on defence policy, however, said signing of these agreements was clearly India's choice and expressed hope that India would take a decision on signing them before Obama's visit.