NEW DELHI, June 9: Britain and the United States have not suspended arms sales to India amid its current stand-off with Pakistan, Defence Secretary Yogendra Narain said on Sunday.

Narain negated reports that Washington and London had slapped an embargo on the supply of military equipment to India and insisted that the US was going to go ahead with an advanced radar sale.

“The US has offered to supply automatic radars and other defence items to India as and when needed,” he said.

In April this year, an agreement was signed between India and the US for eight US-made Firefinder counter-battery artillery radars worth $146 million.

The US is also expected to give the green light to General Electric to sell engines to India for its Light Combat Aircraft.

Washington earlier this year lifted restrictions on military sales to India and Pakistan, imposed after their tit-for-tat nuclear tests in 1998.

The Firefinder deal was the first US military contract in more than a decade with India, which historically has looked to Russia for the bulk of its arms supplies.

Press reports last weekend had suggested Britain was considering placing an embargo on the sales of defence equipment to India, in particular of a one-billion-pound order for 66 Hawk training aircraft which Britain’s BAE Systems has been negotiating with New Delhi.

“There is absolutely no truth in this,” Narain told reporters.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw also dismissed the report, telling the BBC at the time that London had approved of a continuation of commercial relations with India.—AFP