Friday, July 21 2006 11:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: A key panel of the US Congress upbraided the Bush administration for what it called a calculated move to diminish Congressional authority over the rushed sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, but stopped short of blocking the $5.1 billion arms deal.

Islamabad thus appeared set to get its arms package by default as the 30-day period given to Congress to reject the deal notified June 28 runs out next week with little likelihood of an emergency legislation coming up before the legislature.

Republican and Democrat members of the International Relations Committee of the House of Representatives lashed out Thursday at the administration for rushing the deal without the traditional 20 days of pre-notification consultations to address any Congressional concerns.

They also expressed concern over diversion of sophisticated technology into the hands of third parties, especially China, and possibly even Hezbollah, but ended up only, as one member said, venting their anger with no real opposition to the deal as such.

"The compressed timetable represents a deliberate and wholly inappropriate manoeuvre by the State Department to diminish the Congress' lawful oversight of arms sales", said Henry Hyde, Republican chairman of the committee.

The committee's ranking Democrat, Tom Lantos, accused the administration of cutting "this committee, and this Congress, out of consideration of US arms sales" and said there would be no compromise or negotiations over the restoration of the process of consultations prevailing since 1976.

"This insolence flies in the face of both custom and the intent of the Constitution," said Lantos, but made it clear at the outset itself that he supported the deal despite concerns over sales to a country that allowed A.Q. Khan - father of Pakistan's atomic bomb to provide nuclear weapons to states like North Korea and Iran"

Describing the sale of F-16s as a historic turning point in our relationship with Pakistan, Lantos said "while I support the substance of the sale, we have had long-standing concerns over the security plan to protect the US technology in these aircraft and missiles in sales to a country that produced the A.Q. Khan nuclear proliferation network.

John Hillen, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, admitted that the administration had chosen to waive the 20-day pre-notification period without consulting either Hyde or Lantos, but made no move to end what Democrat Brad Sherman called "this charade" of consultations.

He nodded in agreement at the suggestion that the Congress had no means to stop the deal unless both the House and Senate pass resolutions rejecting it before the 30-day review period runs out next week a prospect which appeared highly unlikely - and then override a Bush veto.

Hyde and Lantos later introduced a bill that requires quarterly updates on possible upcoming arms sales and enforces a 20-day consultation period before the State Department formally notifies Congress of a proposed sale - in the future.

They did this in response to continued State Department resistance to input on the proposed sale of F-16 warplanes to Pakistan, ignoring concerns raised by members of Congress about needed assurances that the sophisticated technology did not fall into the wrong hands, Hyde's office said.

"The Department of State chose to exploit the proposed sale of sophisticated F-16 aircraft and weaponry to Pakistan as the unfortunate vehicle to overturn what had been a constructive process to ensure that arms sales do not compromise US national security, " Lantos said.

"In the Department's rush to reduce Congressional oversight, our concerns have not been heeded. Make no mistake, they will be," he said.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Richard Lugar, had July 18 postponed a 'closed briefing' scheduled for the day after the Bush administration expressed readiness to address any Congressional concerns over the deal. No new date has been set for it.

At the House committee hearing, Republican James Leach, who heads the subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, supported the sale of F-16 aircraft to our close friends and allies in Pakistan even though he did not view this proposed sale as integral to ongoing operations against Al Qaeda or pro-Taliban elements along the Afghan border.

He also expressed the hope that Islamabad will maintain its commitment to the peace process with India, including - as President Musharraf has promised full cooperation with the authorities in Delhi as the investigation into the horrific Mumbai bombings continue.

Democrat Brad Sherman said the Congressional outrage over lack of consultations could not be addressed by mere promises of better behaviour in the future or a resolution of disapproval. He was not opposed to the deal, but wanted it to be kept on hold until the administration retraced its steps.

Republican Dana Rohrabacher asked whether it was right to sell arms to a country whose leader had once said that his people were ready to eat to grass in order to get the bomb.

Opposing the deal, Democrat Eni Faleomavaega asked what assurances were there that Pakistan would not have another A.Q. Khan who would divert sophisticated technology to interested third parties.