U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld held talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday. In his talks with Musharraf, Rumsfeld reaffirmed a U.S. decision to enhance military help to Pakistan, the Pakistani government said in a statement. "He said the U.S. would be stepping up support to meet Pakistan's legitimate defence needs," the government said. The United States recently lifted a 15-year ban on the supply of F-16 fighters to Pakistan. Musharraf expressed appreciation for the decision to sell F-16s, saying the aircraft would help preserve peace in the region, the statement said. --SP 2328 Local Time 2028 GMT
