ISLAMABAD, Sept 25: Pakistani and US defence officials restarted a joint consultative forum after a four-year suspension on Wednesday, holding preliminary talks ahead of a two-day meeting aimed at boosting military cooperation. The security assistance group discussed defence equipment sales and export licenses.

The Pakistan and US Defence Consultative Group (DCG) last met in 1997. It was suspended in 1998 under military and economic sanctions imposed over Pakistan’s nuclear programme.

About 40 US defence officials are joining the talks, some arrived on Tuesday and Wednesday to take part in the three working groups that began discussions early Wednesday.

“The meeting of three working groups started today,” a ministry spokeswoman told AFP.

The working groups focussed on military cooperation, security assistance and anti-terrorism, according to a statement from the defence ministry.

“The groups held in-depth discussions on their respective agendas,” the statement added.

The military cooperation group discussed holding joint military exercises, seminars, conferences and other exchange programmes proposed to be held between the two countries.

The security assistance group also discussed defence equipment sales and export licenses.

Earlier, Pakistan’s Secretary of Defence Production, Air Marshal Zahid Anis, briefed the Director of the US Defence Security Agency, Lt Gen Tome H. Walters Junior, on Pakistan’s “defence potential and defence requirements under the prevailing conditions.”

US Under Secretary of Defence, Douglas J. Feith, is due to arrive here on Thursday to co-chair the talks with Pakistan’s Defence Secretary, Hamid Khan.

The decision to revive the consultative group was made when President Pervez Musharraf visited Washington in February.

Feith will also call on Musharraf and other top military leaders, a defence ministry statement on Monday said.

Defence hardware sales were halted under military and economic sanctions first imposed by Washington in October 1990 when Pakistan was unable to certify that Pakistan did not possess nuclear weapons.