Russia refused to sell SU-30s to Pak.

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, MAY 31. Pakistan asked Russia to sell its SU-30 jet fighters and other latest armaments, but got a refusal, the Pakistani military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, said in an interview to a Russian daily.

``We had a very keen interest in the SU-30 fighters,'' Gen. Musharraf told the Izvestia daily published on Thursday. ``We have the money and would like to buy them.'' He said Pakistan had also approached Russia to buy other state-of- the-art weapons but ``we got a refusal''.

``Unfortunately, we don't know what would make Russia modify its position of lop-sided support for India and develop relations also with the people of Pakistan,'' the Pakistani leader lamented.

Gen. Musharraf said he would welcome Russian mediation in arranging talks between India and Pakistan on Kashmir. Moscow has consistently come out against internationalising Kashmir, but agreed to mediate if asked by both India and Pakistan.

Gen. Musharraf conceded that relations with Russia were at a low ebb, while Islamabad was eager to improve them.

``I must state there has been little progress,'' Gen. Musharraf said, admitting that he had no invitation to visit Russia even while he had invited the Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin, to visit Pakistan.

Gen. Musharraf refused to promise that Pakistan would conduct no more nuclear tests, saying his country had to take care of its security in a situation when India had ballistic missiles and submarine-launched nuclear missiles and does not wish to limit its nuclear ambitions.

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Section  : International
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