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Saturday, August 02, 2008
Pakistan proposes defence deal with Sri Lanka
COLOMBO: Pakistan, a key supplier of small arms to Sri Lanka, has proposed a defence pact to boost military co-operation between the two countries, Pakistani officials said on Friday. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the offer to his Sri Lankan counterpart Rohitha Bogollegama in Colombo, the officials said. “A (draft) defence co-operation agreement has been given to Sri Lanka,” said a senior Pakistani official requesting anonymity. India has been uneasy about the growing military clout of its arch-rival Pakistan in Sri Lanka and Indian diplomats have privately raised concerns about closer defence ties between Pakistan and Sri Lanka “We want Sri Lanka to quickly move on that (the draft agreement),” the Pakistan diplomatic official said. There was no immediate comment from the Sri Lankan authorities on the Pakistani proposal. Details of the defence pact offer were not immediately available. Qureshi told reporters on Thursday after meeting with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee that military co-operation between Pakistan and Sri Lanka did not figure in their talks. afp
Courtesy Daily Times