Washington: India has reacted positively to President George W Bush's new proposals to combat weapons of mass destruction, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Richard Armitage said.

"I have seen cables from two of our Embassies this morning, one from India and one from Japan, which both had very positive reactions," Armitage told a radio interview yesterday (Feb 12, 2004).

Armitage was responding when asked whether he had been able to gauge any response from allies or other countries on Bush's speech in which he proposed a seven-point agenda to combat weapons of mass destruction and criticised Pakistani nuclear scientist A Q Khan for his proliferation network.

On the response from its close ally UK, Armitage said, "I believe that is the same (positive) case with the British as well, though I have not seen that cable myself yet."

In the wake of the controversial intelligence about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, he said, "Each of these cases is sui generis. For instance, our intelligence on Libya was quite good and was along with our British friends, very determinant in helping right that situation. I think the same thing is true of Pakistan and of the A Q Khan network."

"Sometimes our intelligence is good and sometimes it is not," Armitage admitted in the interview to US-based 'Salem Radio'.

On the issue of transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis by June 30, Armitage said the deadline was not in jeopardy because of terrorist attacks. "We are dead set on it," he said.