ISLAMABAD, Oct 5: British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said on Tuesday that history would judge the pace of the peace process between Pakistan and India. While emphasizing the importance of bilateral talks between Pakistan and India, Mr Hoon said the UK certainly wanted to see progress in the talks and was encouraged by the progress made so far.

Mr Hoon, who arrived earlier in the day on a two-day official visit to Pakistan, also justified invasion of Iraq while talking to a group of journalists. When asked about the pace of the ongoing peace process between Pakistan and India, Mr Hoon said only history could answer that question properly.

"Some times rushing towards conclusions that do not stand the test of time is not a good thing," he said. Referring to the colonial history of the subcontinent, Mr Hoon said the United Kingdom had a peculiar position as a former colonial power.

He said the colonial past put Britain in a peculiar position with both Pakistan and India and if a request was made for help, Britain would consider it. However, he said, the impression was that both countries were making good progress without British help.

"But if that help is requested, we certainly stand ready to give it. Sometimes it is helpful to have a friend like the United Kingdom. Sometimes it is helpful to have a complete stranger who can help, but I would like to say that we are positive, encouraging and supportive of both countries' efforts that we regard as vitally important dialogue," he said.

About Pakistan-UK relations, the British defence secretary said he expected that relations and friendship between the two countries, governments and the military would grow further.

When asked if an expansion in military ties between the two countries was expected, Mr Hoon said nothing specific should be expected from his frequent visits to Pakistan.

In reply to a question whether UK would provide any military equipment to Pakistan, Mr Hoon said: "I don't want you to think that this visit has a specific purpose. But obviously we discuss opportunities of that kind from time to time."

The British defence secretary said he was not aware of anything particularly specific at present. However, he said, there were areas where Pakistan might request for a particular piece of equipment and if that was possible and available, UK would look if it was in a position to offer that.

Expounding the reasons for his recent visit, the British defence secretary said frequent bilateral visits and conversations allowed the two sides to exchange ideas and information in a relaxed atmosphere that allowed discussion on a wide range of issues and more effective ways to cooperate.

Mr Hoon appreciated the cooperation Pakistan extended to the war against terrorism in the post-9/11 scenario and said Islamabad's role was recognized internationally. "We encourage Pakistan to continue its efforts as it is beneficial to Pakistan just as it is of benefit to the rest of the world," he said.

When asked if Pakistan was doing enough to counter terrorism, Mr Hoon said Pakistan had made enormous progress and the UK would like to see it continue. About controlling terrorism along the Pakistan-Afghan border, he said Pakistan and Afghanistan needed to make more efforts on their respective sides of the border to control the threat of terrorism.

He said international support was available to check the threat of terrorism. He said it was of real benefit to Pakistan to reinforce its security system. The British defence secretary said UK could share a lot in terms of expertise, information and equipment to reinforce Pakistan's efforts to tackle terrorism.

He said no one country could tackle the problem of terrorism on its own and needed international support. Mr Hoon said one of the reasons why President Pervez Musharraf was so widely admired around the world was because of his courage and conviction in tackling terrorism.

When asked how he evaluated Pakistan's democracy, Mr Hoon said he accepted that democracy in Pakistan was different than that in the United Kingdom. When asked whether the UK had any problems with the uniform of President Musharraf, Mr Hoon said from the British point of view an ideal world would have separation of powers.

However, he said, the president was theoretically part of the constitution and even in the UK a perfect separation of powers did not exist. "We have all sorts of overlaps. We have people like me who are members of both the legislature and the executive at the same time," he said.

Mr Hoon said he could understand President Musharraf's decision to retain the uniform 'because of the pressure that we all face in a very difficult world'. The British defence secretary said if protecting the people required President Musharraf to wear the uniform, he could understand that in the kind of world that we faced.

When asked if President Musharraf had created a perception that the war on terror was his personal war, Mr Hoon said: "I doubt that President (Musharraf) has personalized the war on terror. It seems that whoever was trying to kill him was using him as a personal target."

In reply to a question about perception in the UK that the attack on Iraq was not justified, Mr Hoon said: "No. I don't accept that. And I think it is likely based on a mistaken understanding that why we took military action."

In reply to a question about attacks on security forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, Mr Hoon said: "There are some very bad people who are attacking the coalition troops and Iraqis."

Mr Hoon said Iraqi people welcomed the British troops because they knew that the British troops and other coalition forces were there to protect them from terrorism. "So, I accept that there are those who talk about occupation, they are a very small minority in Iraq and tend to be linked to violence," he said.

Mr Hoon said he did not want the British troops to be in Iraq a day longer then necessary. Asked if UK had an exit strategy from Iraq, Mr Hoon said: "We do have one."

Mr Hoon said coalition troops would leave once it was ensured that Iraq could deal with economic, political and security problems by itself. He said the exit strategy depended on Iraq having a functional democracy, a successful economy and sufficient security forces and the army that allowed it to assume its responsibility for its own affairs.

The British secretary said in many parts of southern Iraq, Iraqi forces were patrolling alone in towns, assuming responsibility for the security. "If more of this happens, there would be more opportunity for the foreign forces to leave," he added.

Asked if there was any specific timeframe for the exit of the coalition troops from Iraq, Mr Hoon said: "We can't have a specific time-table but I assure you that we are working hard, working for the prospects of elections in January in Iraq."

Asked the same question about Afghanistan and the collapse of state apparatus there, Mr Hoon did not give any specific timeframe for an exit strategy. He said reconstruction was not simply about military but about establishing structures of civil society and the putting right people in place to do the job.

In reply to a question about any proposal or request to Islamabad to send its troops to Iraq, Mr Hoon said though there was a need for a multi-national force in Iraq under a UN mandate, Pakistan as an Islamic state would discuss the matter with other nations.

Earlier, talking to journalists at the Chaklala Airbase on his arrival, Mr Hoon said Britain welcomed the comprehensive dialogue process between Pakistan and India. He said he would discuss a wide range of issues with Pakistani leaders to promote the good relations between the defence forces of the two countries.

During his visit, Mr Hoon would call on President Gen Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Minister for Defence Rao Sikandar Iqbal and other senior military officials.

In the meeting Mr Hoon held with Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal at Rawalpindi, the two sides agreed to explore new ways and avenues to boost defence cooperation.

During the meeting, Minister of State for Defence Zahid Hamid told the British delegation that Pakistan expected more liberal export licence policy from the UK so as to pave the way for export of defence-related equipment to Pakistan.

A press release issued in the evening said Mr Hoon assured the minister that UK would review the existing export policy and adopt a liberal attitude towards export licences.