Pakistan concerned about India's purchase of Israeli-made AWACS system

The agreement to buy Israeli-made early-warning system Falcon (similar to AWACS) signed between India and Israel earlier this week will lead to further destruction of the balance of forces in the region, believes Pakistani Minister of Information Sheikh Rashid.

He underlined that Islamabad "will not ignore the purchase of the new system by India, although Pakistan has no intention to enter the arms race." The Pakistani minister pointed out that India has been buying Russian-made armaments for decades, however, this new deal with Israel, worth by some estimations a billion US dollars, is a matter of serious concern for Pakistan.

The Israeli early-warning system Falcon will be installed on board Russian-made Il-76 plane. The Falcon deal was struck during the recent visit of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to New Delhi. The new contract signed on October 10 moves Israel to the second place after Russia on the list of major exporters of armaments to India.