WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, The United States said today it wanted Pakistan’s Uranium Enrichment Plant put under international supervision to ensure it was not involved in making a nuclear bomb.
State department spokesman Charles Redman said Pakistan had refused unless India agreed to similar supervision.
Redman said Washington would take up the issue with New Delhi.
Redman made the comments in a report on a trip to Islamabad this month by the State Department’s third ranking official, Michael Arm a cost, to discuss renewed U.S. concern that Pakistan was on the verge of producing a bomb.
The latest concern about Pakistan’s nuclear plans arises from a court case in Philadelphia in which.
Pakistan born Canadian Ershad Pervez, is accused of attempting to illegally export special steels used in nuclear enrichment plants.
If Pakistan has built a nuclear bomb, or is involved in acquiring forbidden U.S. materials used in building them, American law dictates a halt in aid to Pakistan.
Islamabad has denied a connection to Pervez.
“We will be consulting further with the Pakistanis to make sure that our laws and regulations are fully understood”, Redman said:
Redman said arm a cost stressed the importance of Pakistani compliance with their assurance not to enrich uranium above the five per cent level.
This is the maximum enrichment necessary for the civilian nuclear program that Pakistan asserts it is pursuing. It denies enriching uranium above that level.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 14, 1987
