Pakistan presses for US arms

Feith (L) will also meet Musharraf during his visit

Pakistan and the United States have ended a first full day of formal talks on defence cooperation.

Pakistan: F-16s not expected immediately

Islamabad has pressed Washington for spares it badly needs for its military hardware.

"We called for the resumption of defence training, joint exercises and acquisition of military equipment," Pakistan's Defence Secretary Hamid Nawaz told the BBC.

After discussions with US Under-Secretary of Defence Douglas J Feith on Thursday he said: "We are looking to pick up the threads from where we left off in 1998, when defence co-operation between the two countries was suspended.

"We asked them to understand and meet our defence requirements."

Praise

Operation Enduring Freedom could not have achieved what it did without Islamabad's support

Douglas J Feith

The US delegation to the talks in Islamabad, praised Pakistan for its role in the US-led war on terror.

A statement issued by the Pakistani Defence Ministry quoted Mr Feith as saying: "Operation Enduring Freedom could not have achieved what it did without Islamabad's support."

But Defence Secretary Nawaz said there was no immediate possibility of an early resumption of full-scale military sales, including the supply of F-16 fighter jets to Islamabad.

"It would be unrealistic to expect that. But we did discuss fresh acquisitions and also the money left over from the cancelled sale of F-16s to Pakistan," he said.

Hamid Nawaz: Hopes US will supply parts

The resumption of a dialogue on defence co-operation, suspended since Pakistan conducted tit-for-tat nuclear tests to match India's in 1998, is seen as a reward for Pakistan's support for the US in its war against terror.

The four-day talks conclude on Friday.

Hope

Islamabad hopes the US will release weapons already earmarked for Pakistan but blocked after the 1998 tests.

Mr Feith is also expected to meet President Musharraf and senior military officials during his stay.

The US cut military aid to Pakistan in 1990 to punish it for its growing nuclear programme and further sanctions were imposed after the 1998 tests.

But since the 11 September attacks last year, Islamabad has become one of Washington's most important allies in the hunt for members of Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

The US military is giving Pakistan logistical help in hunting down suspects in the border region with Afghanistan where hundreds of suspects have been arrested.

FBI officials are believed to have provided crucial intelligence which has led to a number of significant arrests in Pakistan.