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Pakistan may make Nigeria a nuclear power
Pakistan yesterday offered to share military assistance, including "nuclear power" with Nigeria, in defiance of President George Bush’s new counter-proliferation initiative.
Perv's asking for it, isn't he?
The offer was announced by the Nigerian defence ministry in a statement saying that General Muhammad Aziz Khan, chairman of Pakistan’s joint chiefs of staff, had made the offer to the Nigerian defence minister, Rabiu Kwankwaso, during a visit to the west African state’s capital, Abuja. "Speaking at the opening of the discussions, the Pakistani chairman of joint chiefs of staff ... said that his country is working out the dynamics of how they can assist Nigeria’s armed forces to strengthen its military capability and to acquire nuclear power," the Nigerian press release said. Neither the Pakistani nor the Nigerian governments clarified what Gen Khan had in mind.
Nigeria is currently lead by a Christian, so I don’t know how big a role Islamic solidarity would play in the assistance given, it’s probably more cash related, although I don’t know how a country like Nigeria can afford to pay much of anything.
They've got oil money to piss away on prestige projects, of course.
A week after AQ Khan’s confession, President Bush launched a counter-proliferation initiative based on international cooperation to curb transfers of nuclear technology and materials. Gen Khan’s offer to Nigeria appeared to be in blatant defiance of that initiative. The general made clear that the snub was intentional, declaring: "Pakistan had to take its destiny into its own hands to become a nuclear state because of the regular threats posed by hostile neighbours with special reference to the Kashmir conflict," according to the press release.
General Khan is the highest ranked Islamist in the Pakistani Army, being the 2nd most important General and of Kashmiri descent. He and a couple other Islamists brought Musharaff to power in the ’99 coup, and is due to retire at the end of the year, which may be why Musharaf will be stepping down as Army Chief at the end of this year too.
US officials are also baffled at Nigeria’s intentions, nearly five years after the country restored civilian rule, and at a time when it is under no threat from its neighbours. Two months ago, the Nigerian vice president’s office announced that it had struck an agreement with North Korea to gain access to Pyongyang’s missile technology. The offer was subsequently denied by North Korean officials and played down by a spokeswoman to Nigeria’s president, Olusegun Obasanjo.
Posted by: Paul Moloney 2004-03-04
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=27419