NEW DELHI, Sept 10: Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Yosef Lapid on Wednesday praised Pakistan’s role in the US-led war on terrorism, and clarified that his country harboured no animosity towards Islamabad.

Speaking to a group of journalists hours before returning home prematurely with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Mr Lapid, a rightwing leader, said: “We have no animosity towards Pakistan.”

Asked why his country was assisting India when Pakistan had been at the forefront of the fight against communism and later against the global war on terrorism, he said it was Pakistan that had closed its doors to ties with Israel.

He said President Pervez Musharraf’s remarks during a visit to the United States about probing possible ties with Israel was a rare departure coming from Islamabad.

“Israel would be only too happy to establish ties with Muslim countries. We appreciate the role of Pakistan against communism and now in the global war on terror,” Mr Lapid added. However, Pakistani officials did not appear comforted by Mr Lapid’s remarks, saying instead that they were watching with concern the growing defence ties between India and Israel.

Mr Lapid did not mask this aspect of the agenda. He said: “Now that the Indian government has come out of the closet about our defence relations, I can tell you that we have several projects going.”

Among the crucial ones is the Phalcon radar deal, Mr Lapid said, and added that the highly coveted radars, three of which would be sold to India, were now cleared for sale. This follows the approval by Russia for their use aboard the Ilyushin-76 planes. The United States too had given the go ahead.

There was a problem though about Arrow II anti-missile system. The United States had not cleared its sale to India, he said. American sources said Washington was not likely to approve of this sale in view of its sensitivities with Pakistan.

Mr Lapid said Mr Sharon was cutting short his visit following the two suicide attacks in Tel Aviv and Al Quds on Tuesday.

“We are leaving early for the same reason that had brought us to India, international terrorism,” Mr Lapid explained. Mr Sharon was scheduled to be in Mumbai on Sept 11, a visit hat was being seen as symbolic because of the city’s recent terror attacks.

While he seemed to go soft on Pakistan, Mr Lapid was not so mellow over Iran. “One of the countries that worries us most is Iran, where they have religious leaders who are weaving the country in a ‘very fanatic Muslim’ way and they also want to acquire nuclear weapons to translate their beliefs into acts of terrible consequences,” he said in a TV interview.

KASHMIR: “Israel can help India by supplying electronic means, fences and gadgetry, which can be very helpful in India’s fight against terror. India is now part of an international network which fights terror wherever it raises its head,” he said, adding, “we speak a common language.”