Washington: The United States has said that it has given the go-ahead for Israel to sell the Phalcon airborne radar system worth one billion Dollars to India, nearly three months after the approval was reported in the Israeli press.

"The United States has informed the governments of Israel and India that we have no objection to the Israeli transfer of the Phalcon airborne early-warning system to India," a State Department official told reporters on August 11.

He said Washington had approved for the sale, which was reported on May 22 by the Israeli newspaper 'Haaretz', because the improving security situation between India and Pakistan had made the sale less likely to destabilise the region.

"We've been discussing this potential sale with Israel for several years, and in the past we have expressed concern that heightened tensions between India and Pakistan made the transfer inadvisable. Recent developments in the region have eased those concerns," the official said.

The US had in-principle supported the sale to India about two years ago. However, in early 2002, Washington asked Israel to postpone the sale because of rising tension between India and Pakistan and the deal had since been frozen, waiting for US approval.

PTI