Tuesday, May 31 2005 16:47 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Karwar (Karnataka): Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee today (May 31, 2005) dismissed reports of pressure from the US on procuring F-16s fighter planes.

He told reporters after commissioning India's largest naval base INS Kadamba that "there is no proposal at all and nothing has been finalised regarding the procurement of F-16s."

Ruling out any pressure from the US in response to a question, the Minister said, "Upto now there is a set procedure to acquire F-16's. Tenders will be invited.

"Till now the US did not sell any military hardware to India. The US administration has now decided that US arms and equipment manufacturers can participate in the process if there is any requirement."

When asked whether US is an unreliable arms supplier he said, "There are so many ifs and buts. First and foremost the Defence procurement takes place on the basis of past proposals.

"Secondly we must consider that when we buy a costly equipment we must be assured of spare parts and repair facility and other components. Therefore these are related issues. Considering all these aspects a decision will be taken," he said.