Islamabad: The US has informed Pakistan of its inability to stop the sale of Phalcon airborne radars by Israel to India, saying it was an internal matter between the two countries, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokkar said.

Khokkar, who is currently in Washington to do the groundwork for Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's visit later in June, said US officials told him that they had resisted the sale but could not stop it as this was a matter between Israel and India.

"We did raise this issue with US officials and told them how this will affect the conventional balance between India and Pakistan. We also told them that it was not a helpful development," Khokkar was on June 4 quoted as saying by Pakistani media.

The Bush administration had taken note of Pakistan's concerns in this regard, he said adding Musharraf would raise the issue with US President George Bush when they meet at Camp David on June 24.

He sad state department officials had informed him that US is expected to offer Pakistan an economic package during Musharraf's visit.

"The Americans are working on some sort of a package. They haven't spelt out its clinical details but have implied to us that it will be worthwhile," Khokhar said.

US has already written off USD one billion debt to Pakistan and extended financial assistance amounting to over $ 600 million. Pakistan also wanted the US to write off the remaining $ 1.8 billion as "compensation" for the losses it suffered during the war in Afghanistan.

PTI