The United States has dramatically shifted its arms sale policy toward South Asian rivals India and Pakistan by announcing F-16 fighter jet sales for Pakistan on Friday.

According to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, US President George W. Bush, on vacation at his Texas ranch, spoke by phone on Friday with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to explain his decision to sell F-16s to Pakistan.

During the telephone talks, Singh expressed India's "great disappointment" at the US decision, the Indian leader's spokesman Sanjaya Baru said. India has maintained that the sale of F-16s to Pakistan would pose a threat to the region's security environment.

US government officials, however, argued that the sale will not change the overall balance of power between Pakistan and India.

US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said on Friday that the F-16s to be sold to Pakistan would be newly built but the number was still "undetermined." A senior US government official said earlier that the initial plan is to sell 24 to Pakistan.

US officials on Friday also indicated a willingness to sell multirole warplanes to India if New Delhi chooses to buy them from the United States.

Pakistan has been frustrated for years in its desire to buy newF-16s for its air force, which already has 32 older model F-16s. The US Congress canceled a sale of about two dozen F-16s to Pakistan in 1990 because of Islamabad's pursuit of nuclear weapons.

But US relations with Pakistan have warmed steadily because of Islamabad's strong support for the US-led war on terrorism. The US administration has also been fostering better relations with India since Bush's first term, seeing New Delhi as a key potential ally.

The tensions between the two long-time South Asian rivals have also eased

significantly since they began peace dialogues last year.

"Relations between India and Pakistan have never been better," Ereli said on Friday. "To the extent that we can contribute to Pakistan's sense of security and India's sense of security. That will contribute to regional stability."

According to a report of the Associated Press, Jehangir Karamat, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, opened new political possibilities for advancing Pakistan's stalled 15-year quest for the F-16 fighters when he said last month that Islamabad would not object to India's buying of American-made jets.

India, which traditionally bought most of its weaponry from Russia, is soliciting bids for a purchase of 126 multirole fighterplanes. New Delhi reportedly is considering a number of options, including F-16, the Russian-made MiG-29M, Sweden's Saab Gripen andFrance's Dassault Mirage.

If India and Pakistan both buy F-16s, it will be great news for its US manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

US media reports said earlier that Lockheed officials hope to land a significant F-16 order in the next few months that would fill looming gaps in the production line at its Fort Worth plant and extend deliveries beyond 2008.

Source: Xinhua