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Pak rejects possibility of US sanctions over N Korea nuke issue
Islamabad, Nov 28: Pakistan today dismissed the possibility of US sanctions against it for what it called `baseless` reports of its nuclear cooperation with North Korea.
Islamabad, Nov 28: Pakistan today dismissed the possibility of US sanctions against it for what it called "baseless" reports of its nuclear cooperation with North Korea.
Foreign ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan refuted the possibility of any sanctions being imposed against Pakistan by the US "since the allegations had no basis in fact."
"The mention of sanctions had only been made in motivated and biased stories appearing in the us press," Khan said in a statement.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Monday that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has been told of "consequences" should there be any repeat of reported nuclear cooperation with "axis of evil" member North Korea.
Powell told reporters that he had no new information to suggest Pakistan, a key anti-terror ally of the United States, was helping Pyongyang build its nuclear program.
"I have made it clear to him that any sort of contact between Pakistan and North Korea we believe would be improper, inappropriate and would have consequences," he said.
"He has assured me on more than one occasion that there are no further contacts and he guarantees that there are no contacts of the kind that were referred to in the article."
The ‘New York Times’ reported on Sunday that a Pakistani aircraft arrived in North Korea as recently as July to pick up missile parts as part of an alleged barter arrangement in exchange for Islamabad-supplied uranium enrichment equipment.
Bureau Report
Foreign ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan refuted the possibility of any sanctions being imposed against Pakistan by the US "since the allegations had no basis in fact."
"The mention of sanctions had only been made in motivated and biased stories appearing in the us press," Khan said in a statement.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Monday that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has been told of "consequences" should there be any repeat of reported nuclear cooperation with "axis of evil" member North Korea.
Powell told reporters that he had no new information to suggest Pakistan, a key anti-terror ally of the United States, was helping Pyongyang build its nuclear program.
"I have made it clear to him that any sort of contact between Pakistan and North Korea we believe would be improper, inappropriate and would have consequences," he said.
"He has assured me on more than one occasion that there are no further contacts and he guarantees that there are no contacts of the kind that were referred to in the article."
The ‘New York Times’ reported on Sunday that a Pakistani aircraft arrived in North Korea as recently as July to pick up missile parts as part of an alleged barter arrangement in exchange for Islamabad-supplied uranium enrichment equipment.
Bureau Report