Pakistani Nuke Networks Possible, Says U.S. Official

A senior U.S. official said Washington cannot be sure that Pakistani groups are not still working to spread nuclear technology and know-how on the black market, the Press Trust of India reported yesterday (see GSN, June 29).

“To say that there are no elements in Pakistan [spreading nuclear technology], I’m not sure I could say that,” Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.  “I cannot be sure that there are no private groups in Pakistan trying to reconstitute that type of capability.”

Burns hedged about the existence of splinter cells spawned by the nuclear network of Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan.

“I cannot assert that no part of that network exists, but it’s my understanding based on conversations with the Pakistanis that the network has been fundamentally dismantled,” Burns added (Press Trust of India, July 26).

Meanwhile, Australia today said it would not sell uranium to Pakistan, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

“I don’t think there’s any prospect in the foreseeable future of exporting to Pakistan, unless Pakistan gets into some sort of system of U.N. inspections and control over its two civil nuclear facilities and it comes to Australia and seeks a nuclear safeguards agreement,” said Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.  “It doesn’t seem likely that’s about to happen.”

The negative Australian answer came after Pakistan requested the same uranium deal Australia is pondering for India, Xinhua reported (Xinhua News Agency, July 27).

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