Rice, Kasuri ignore Indian missile tests in talks

WASHINGTON: The testing of the Agni III missile by India did not come up for discussion between visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri and the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, even though the focus was on Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, Kasuri said.

"No. We didn't discuss India's missile test, because, we have been conducting our own. And, in the case of Pakistan, we do it when we feel we need it for scientific purposes. No. we did not discuss that," he told reporters after his meeting with Rice on Monday.

Kasuri said the composite dialogue between India and Pakistan and "the need to resolve the issue of Kashmir" did figure in the discussions.

He also played down differences with Washington over  Afghanistan maintaining that there was not only a "complete unanimity of views" but the United States also knew what Pakistan was doing.

"There are no differences (between Pakistan and United States), and the U.S. understands what we are doing," he said.

The Pakistani Foreign Minister is said to have expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the multi-billion dollar F-16s package and the Bush administration's push in Congress for nearly $740 million as the annual installment of the $3-billion multi-year assistance package.