NEW DELHI, March 26: India and the United States have agreed to a series of steps to boost defence and energy ties, the foreign ministry said, as Washington announced it would sell F-16 fighters to Pakistan.As part of the agreement, Washington has approved US defence companies to bid for combat aircraft that India might want to buy and is considering offering New Delhi technology for civilian nuclear energy, the ministry said in a statement.“The decision by the US administration to move forward on nuclear energy cooperation is welcome and reflects an understanding of India’s growing energy requirements,” it said late on Friday. “We already have a regular dialogue with the United States on global and regional issues. The US initiative to upgrade and broaden this dialogue giving it a much more global character reflects the further strengthening of the Indo-US strategic partnership.” The statement came after US President George W. Bush agreed to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed “great disappointment” and warned Bush that the move “could have negative consequences for India’s security environment,” said Sanjaya Baru, spokesman for the prime minister’s office.

The Bush administration played down India’s security concerns, and signalled a willingness to sell sophisticated fighters to India if it chooses to buy them in the future, but made no firm commitments. A US official said India is contemplating a “very large” purchase of fighters, including US-built F-16s and possibly F-18s.—Reuters