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Pak to take Washington to court

Pakistan has decided to take Washington to court for the refund of $ 658 million it paid for 28 F-16 combat aircraft a decade ago, a foreign office spokesman said today.

''We have decided in principle to file a case in this regard but the timing has yet to be determined,'' the spokesman said.

Washington stopped McDonnell Douglas from delivering the aircraft in October 1990 after then president George Bush refused to certify that Pakistan did not possess a nuclear device. The non-certification led to instant economic and military aid sanctions that partially continue to date.

The statute of limitations in the purchase agreements for the fighter jets expires in February 1999. The spokesman said consultation with US attorneys on the timing of suit was underway.

Efforts by the Bill Clinton administration to get around the law, barring the delivery of the planes through their sale to a third country, have so far remained fruitless.

UNI

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