The Hindu : International / India & World : Pakistan sounds a note of warning

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 18, 2006

International

International - India & World

Pakistan sounds a note of warning

B. Muralidhar Reddy

A "package approach" for two countries would have been better: Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday night said the grant of waiver to the India-U.S. agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation as a special case, would have "serious implications for the security environment" in South Asia .

The Pakistan Foreign Office in a statementsaid the objective of strategic stability in South Asia and the global non-proliferation regime would have been better served if the United States considered a "package approach" for Pakistan and India.

It said that an even-handed approach should have been adopted to prevent a nuclear arms race and promote restraint, while ensuring that the legitimate needs of both India and Pakistan for civilian nuclear power generation were met.

The statement said the history of nuclear development in South Asia showed that Pakistan pursued the nuclear option only after India tested a nuclear device in 1974.

IAEA safeguards

The statement maintained that Pakistan's civilian nuclear power reactors are totally covered by the IAEA safeguards including the spent fuel produced by these reactors and its future nuclear power generation reactors will also be under safeguards. "We expect all the NSG member countries to be sensitive to Pakistan's energy needs and extend cooperation in the civilian nuclear sector."

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