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Washington (AFP) June 11, 2007 The United States welcomed Monday Pakistan's decision to join a global program led by Washington and Moscow to combat nuclear terrorism. Islambad on Saturday announced its intention to join the the "Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism" although its participation would reportedly not cover the country's military nuclear program and installations. About 50 countries are involved in the joint initiative launched by US President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin last July. "The United States and Russia welcome the decision of the government of Pakistan to become a partner nation of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism," a statement from the US State Department said. It added that at the most recent meeting of the group in Ankara, Turkey, in February, member states "emphasized the importance of increasing partnership and participation by nations committed to combating nuclear terrorism." Pakistan, like its nuclear archrival India, is not a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). Islamabad's decision to join the global initiative comes amid concerns that a Pakistani nuclear smuggling network reportedly crippled three years ago could resume business amid strong demand for atomic technology from governments and terrorist groups. Although the United States had declared that the network led by disgraced Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan had been rolled up, only a few of the 40 individuals identified as having worked with him are in prison, said a report last month by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
Source: Agence France-Presse Related Links Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
![]() ![]() The black-market nuclear network established by the father of Pakistan's nuclear program, A.Q. Khan, broken up in 2004, may be dormant but could resume operations in the future, according to a just-released report by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. The IISS study found no evidence to indicate that Pakistan sanctioned or encouraged the sales of nuclear technology and equipment to Iran, Libya and North Korea as a means to fund its own nuclear program. |
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