Pakistan's foreign minister insisted Monday his country was cooperating with a United Nations probe into Iran's suspect nuclear program, but ruled out allowing inspectors into Pakistan as part of the crucial investigation. "Pakistan is a responsible member of the international community. We have been cooperating with the IAEA and sharing information," said Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, who is on a two day visit to Tehran. "Of course we will cooperate and are cooperating," he told a press conference.
| Then his lips fell off... |
"But as far as inspections of Pakistan are concerned, that is out of the question. We are not a signatory of the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty)."
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have found traces of highly-enriched uranium inside Iran, leading to suspicions Iran has been trying to produce nuclear bombs and not just atomic energy as it insists. But Tehran maintains the traces found their way into the country on equipment bought on an international black market operated by Pakistan's disgraced former nuclear chief, Abdul Qadeer Khan. Pakistan's cooperation with the probe is crucial in resolving one of the main outstanding questions related to Iran's bid to generate nuclear energy, seen by the United States as a cover for weapons development. The IAEA wants to take so-called "environmental samples" from Pakistan to compare them with those found in Iran - crucial in verifying Tehran's claims. Kasuri refused to elaborate on how Pakistan would help the IAEA in this regard, preferring only to offer a fresh run-down on how important the nuclear deterrent was to his country's national security. |