 | http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_21-1-2005_pg1_1
The Daily Times, Lahore, Pakistan
Friday, January 21, 2005
US can deal with Pakistani nukes in extremists' hands
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: Dr Condoleezza Rice has indicated that the United States is
prepared to deal with Pakistan's nuclear weapons falling into
extremist hands.
Questioned by Senator John Kerry during her confirmation hearing for
secretary of state about the possibility of extremists taking control
of Pakistan's nuclear weapons if President General Pervez Musharraf
were toppled, she said the US was "prepared to try to deal with
it".
Kerry said, "If you were to have a successful coup in Pakistan, you
could have, conceivably, nuclear weapons in the hands of a radical
Islamic state automatically, overnight. And to the best of my
knowledge, in all of the inquiries that I've made in the course of
the last years, there is now no failsafe procedure in place to
guarantee against that weaponry falling into the wrong hands."
Rice responded, "We have noted this problem and we are prepared to
try to deal with it. I would prefer not in open session to talk about
this particular issue," she said.
Pressed on the point, Rice said: "We're very aware of the problem,
senator, and we have had some discussions. But I really would prefer
not to discuss that."
Rice also said Pakistan had come back from the "brink of extremism"
over the last five years thanks to Musharraf's policies in favour of
moderate Islam. "And that has given rise to very promising
developments, if you think about it, in South Asia, as India and
Pakistan start feeling toward a better future. I think in part that's
been fuelled by Pakistan's unwillingness to be associated with
extremism."
Asked by Kerry about the AQ Khan affair, Rice said what Washington was
concerned with was that "we are able to get the information that we
need to break up the network".
"We have not made any deals about what happens with him, but we have
been concerned with the Pakistani government to get access to as much
information as we possibly can. This is a matter that's being handled
by the Pakistanis. It is not our place to talk about what should or
should not happen with the IAEA, and we have not."
Kerry, who wanted to know about Washington's own interests and
efforts with respect to Dr Khan, was told, "Our own interests are
being very well served by the fact that AQ Khan is now off the market,
that we are working with the Pakistanis to get information about what
he knows; very well served by cooperation on with several other
governments about members of his network. Several of them are in
custody, some will be prosecuted."
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