Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
Madhya Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Karnataka
|
US envoy Patterson denies any intention to seize Pak nuclear arsenal | | US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson has said the US had no intention of seizing the country's nukes, after
media reports suggested that Washington has been negotiating highly sensitive understandings with the Pakistani Army about the security of the country's nuclear
arsenal. Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reported in the latest issue of
The New Yorker magazine that during meetings with current and former officials
in Washington and Pakistan, he was told that the agreements would allow specially
trained American units to provide added security for the Pakistani arsenal in
case of a crisis. At the same time, the Pakistani military would be given money
to equip and train Pakistani soldiers and improve their housing and facilities,
says the report. The Daily Times quoted Patterson as saying that Pakistan was
capable of securing its own nuclear weapons. "These allegations are completely
false. The United States has no intention to seize Pakistani nuclear weapons or
material," she said. "Pakistan is a key ally in our common effort to fight violent
extremists and foster regional security. We work cooperatively on a wide range
of security assistance initiatives, including significant efforts focused on strengthening
counterinsurgency capacities to foster stability," Patterson added. The principal
fear in the US is that "extremists inside the military might stage a coup, take
control of some nuclear assets, or even divert a warhead", notes Hersh. The report
says that the arrangement serves as a safeguard in case of a quickly escalating
confrontation with India, but also makes the weapons vulnerable during shipment
and reassembly. Meanwhile, former president Pervez Musharraf acknowledged that
his government had given US State Department non-proliferation experts insight
into the command-and-control of the Pakistani arsenal and its on-site safety and
security procedures, says the report. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
