http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st … 37,00.htmlPakistan opposes US nuke oversight
Bruce Loudon, South Asia correspondent | April 16, 2008
A PLAN by the US to seek direct "oversight" of Pakistan's powerful nuclear arsenal and the command structure that controls it was heading for rejection last night after it was denounced in Islamabad as "outright interference" in the country's affairs.
The secret plan, disclosed in the Pakistan media, would for the first time see US officials deployed in Islamabad with "direct access" to the National Command Authority that manages Pakistan's nuclear assets.
It is the first time since the country became a nuclear power in 1998 that Washington has sought direct access to the nuclear arsenal.
Last weekend, US President George W. Bush was quoted as saying that if the US suffered another 9/11-type attack, it would most likely have its antecedents in Pakistan rather than Afghanistan.
Washington is believed to be deeply worried that Islamabad's nuclear assets could "fall into the wrong hands" as a result of political turmoil.
The Bush administration is concerned about the Pakistan Government's determination to negotiate with al-Qa'ida and Taliban-linked militants.
Shireen Mazari, head of the Institute of Strategic Studies, said the US move was "perhaps the most dangerous effort at intruding into Pakistan's sensitive areas in the ongoing effort to gain direct access to nuclear-strategic matters".
But US apprehensions gained additional momentum yesterday when first details emerged of planned peace talks.
The national Government in Islamabad and the provincial Government in Peshawar, the capital of the North West Frontier Province, have agreed to constitute two separate tribal councils to start negotiations with Islamic militants.
The constitution of the councils is being backed by Baitullah Mehsud, the main militant leader in Pakistan and the man blamed for the wave of suicide bombings that have hit targets across the country.
Reports yesterday said Mehsud was "optimistic about the outcome of the impending peace talks between the militants and the Government".
Last night, a senior official at the US embassy in Islamabad, Liz Colton, did not reject reports about the plan to gain access to Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.
"We are in touch with all elements of the Pakistan Government all the time. But we do not publish or discuss details of our diplomatic discussions and assignments," she said.
Sorry Duhbya, Pandora's box is open and you can't close it.
Last edited by Dilbert_X (2008-04-16 06:00:11)
Fuck Israel
