Washington, Feb 05: The US has said it is satisfied that Islamabad is addressing the issue of proliferation of nuclear technology in a ''serious manner'' but refused to comment on reports that Pakistan government aircraft were used in some of the nuclear transfers. Asked if the state department found credible assertions that the Pakistan government was not complicit in the nuclear transfers, given that government aircraft was used, us state department Spokesperson Richard Boucher said, ''We think they are addressing the issue in a serious manner and we've been following this closely.” He said it was a matter that the Pakistan government was taking very seriously.
Mr Boucher declined to comment on the statement made by the Pakistan Ambassador Munir Akram to the United States a couple of weeks back that there was absolutely no evidence that scientists or any others in Pakistan were providing nuclear technology to any other country. ''I'm not going to comment on something said two weeks ago when something quite different was said by one of the people themselves this morning.''

Asked if the US was going to take statements of Pakistan Scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan at face value, Mr Boucher once again sought to put faith in the investigation ordered by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

''The point is that we think that the process of investigation that's been undertaken by the Pakistani government does, indeed, demonstrate that President Mushrraf and the government take seriously their commitments, their assurances that they were not going to allow their technology to be used to help other nations that might be trying to develop weapons of mass destruction.''

''The US valued these assurances, Mr Boucher said, and the ''Way this has been proceeding is evidence that Pakistan, too, is determined to meet those commitments.''

Bureau Report