Friday, Dec. 11, 2009
Pakistan yesterday warned that an expanded civilian nuclear trade deal signed this week by India and Russia could harm the balance of power in the region, Dawn reported (see GSN, Dec. 8).
"Major powers have a responsibility in this regard as discriminatory policies are contributing negatively," Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said, adding that Islamabad would act as necessary to ensure its security.
Pakistan has said repeatedly, to little effect, that it should have the same opportunity for nuclear trade with the United States and other nations as neighboring rival India.
Although Basit did not specify Pakistan's specific concerns about the Indian-Russian agreement, some analysts have suggested the deal could make it easier for New Delhi to produce nuclear-weapon material, according to Dawn. Russia has done little to restrict India's right to enrich or reprocess nuclear fuel imported under the pact -- the processes could yield weapon-grade uranium or plutonium, respectively -- and Moscow has indicated that the pact's cancellation would have no bearing on nuclear material already acquired by India or on projects already under way (Iftikhar Khan, Dawn, Dec. 11).
Basit added that Pakistan would not "compromise on maintaining a credible minimum nuclear deterrent," the Press Trust of India reported (Rezaul Laskar, Press Trust of India/Times of India, Dec. 10).
Meanwhile, India and the United States are about two weeks away from completing a fuel reprocessing arrangement that would move the nations closer to finalizing their own civilian nuclear trade pact, the United News of India reported (see GSN, Dec. 2).
A separate agreement nearing completion would enable Washington to begin licensing private firms to supply India with nuclear technology for domestic use and export, said Ted Jones, head of the U.S.-India Business Council. It was uncertain when the deal would enter effect, he said (United News of India/New Kerala, Dec. 10).
Source: http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091211_1382.php
Comments
Post a Comment