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Pakistan Warns Israel To Keep Off South Asia
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Israel’s
sale of new spy planes to India could disturb the balance in South Asia,
says Pakistan.
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By IOL South Asia correspondent
NEW DELHI, Feb. 14 (IslamOnline) - Perturbed by increasing Indo-Israeli
defense cooperation and a possible sale of a Phalcon spy plane to New
Delhi, Pakistan has asked Israel not to get involved in South Asia.
Senior
Pakistani officials conveyed this message to a high-ranking Israeli official in
Paris last week, the Hebrew daily newspaper, Ma'ariv, reported, quoting Israeli
sources, said the official Indian news agency, PTI.
"Don't
become involved in our region so that we are not dragged into doing something
similar in your region," the paper quoted the officials as saying.
Israeli
defense sources claimed security cooperation between New Delhi and Tel Aviv did
not target any country. Allaying fears that the sale of Phalcon AWACS system
could disturb the balance in South Asia, the sources said: "At the end of
the day, it's a defense system which cannot change the balance in the
region."
Defense
partnerships between New Delhi and Tel Aviv have raised concern among Arab
countries in the past.
During
an international conference on missiles in Paris last week, a Pakistani official
expressed concern about possible Israeli sales of Phalcon Airborne Warning and
Control Systems and Arrow anti-ballistic missile defense systems to New Delhi.
"We
are deeply concerned that there are sales of anti-ballistic missile defense
systems and advanced airborne early warning abilities which ignore the need of
stability in our region," the official said.
Israel
wants to sell three Phalcons to Indian Air Force and the two sides have been
negotiating the estimated one-billion-dollar deal for quite some time now. The
radar systems of the Phalcons will extend the IAF's range of operation and will
give India control and monitoring capabilities from the sky.
Israel
has become India's second largest arms supplier after Russia, providing it with
sea-to-sea missiles and surveillance systems, in addition to upgrading India's
Soviet-era tanks and aircraft, border monitoring equipment, night vision devices
and enhanced intelligence cooperation.
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