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Pakistan accepts IAEA clarification

By admin | January 12, 2008

Amid increasing media concerns about the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear assets, the government on Friday took a sigh of relief when the spokeswoman for the IAEA said the concerns raised by Muhammad ElBaradei about nuclear safety were not Pakistan-specific, but meant to bolster worldwide nuclear safety. IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said that ElBaradei’s comments were intended to call attention to the need for bolstering nuclear safety and security measures not only in Pakistan but also across the world.

Good cooperation: Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Muhammad Sadiq told Daily Times on Friday that the FO had accepted the IAEA’s clarification, adding that Pakistan enjoyed good cooperation with ElBaradei though it was surprised and disappointed with his remarks reported in the media. “However, we have taken note of the clarification issued by the IAEA that ElBaradei’s statement was referring to the issue of instability in the Middle East. The concerns about nuclear security were thus not aimed at Pakistan, but at directing attention to the need for bolstering nuclear safety and security measures across the world,” Sadiq said.

Pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat had quoted ElBaradei as saying “chaos… or an extremist regime could take root in that country (Pakistan), which has 30 to 40 warheads”, and that he was “worried that nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of an extremist group in Pakistan or in Afghanistan.” Diplomatic sources said that a strong reaction by Pakistan had disturbed the international nuclear watchdog, which is already under fire for pressing Iran to abandon its disputed nuclear programme. “That (pressure) is why it (IAEA) has issued a statement clarifying ElBaradei’s remarks which otherwise are so obvious about the safety of Pakistani weapons,” the sources said. sajjad malik

Topics: Pakistan News |