Britain would ease its controls on the export of civilian nuclear technology towards India, which declared its nuclear power status in 1998, the foreign ministry confirmed in London on Thursday.

Improved relations between Indian and its neighboring nuclear power Pakistan was cited as one of the reasons for the decision, a spokesperson from the foreign ministry told Xinhua.

She said, "we welcome the progress of the dialogue between India and Pakistan," both of which tested nuclear weapons in 1998.

It is reported that the decision to relax the controls was a result of a six-month policy review. Current controls, which also apply to Pakistan, have been in force since March 2002.

Last month, US President George Bush said he would seek congressional approval for a plan to help develop India's civilian nuclear program, reversing existing US policy.

India agreed to identify and separate its civilian and military nuclear programs, continue a moratorium on nuclear testing and place civilian nuclear facilities under the UN nuclear watchdog.

The foreign ministry said Britain was in separate discussions with Pakistan on nuclear issues.

Meanwhile, Pakistan fired its first cruise missile on Thursday, describing the launch as a "milestone" in its history.

The Babur missile is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads and has a range of 500 kilometers, the BBC reported.

Analysts say the launch is likely to cause concern in the region.

The launch comes days after Pakistan and India agreed to give each other advance notice of future nuclear ballistic missile tests.

India was not informed about Thursday's test because the agreement did not cover guided missiles, the BBC quoted a Pakistan military spokesman as saying.

Source: Xinhua