Monday, March 28 2005 20:36 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today (Mar 28, 2005) said it was "premature" to comment on the US offer to sell F-16 warplanes to India and the issue would be discussed with Washington.

"The US has decided to give F-16s to Pakistan. As far as India is concerned, there is an offer. But the terms and conditions, we do not know. It is premature for me to say. We will discuss with them," he told reporters after the presentation of the 2005 Padma Awards to eminent personalities at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

"We do not know what we will be getting. We will discuss with them. We have good relationship with the US," the Prime Minister said in his first public comment on the US' decision to offer sophisticated F-16 and F-18 fighters planes and cooperate in the civilian nuclear energy with India.

Voicing disappointment over the US move to give F-16s to Pakistan, he said his Government hoped to take it up with Washington.

With regard to the visit of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to New Delhi to watch the last Indo-Pak one-day cricket match, Singh said he was looking forward to it.

On the denial of visa by the US to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and whether this would have an effect on the Indo-US relations, the Prime Minister said he had already spoken on the issue in Parliament.

After the presentation of the Padma Awards by President A P J Abdul Kalam, the Prime Minister mingled with the awardees at a tea get-together.