02-11-2004, 05:59 AM
<b>Europe wants to discuss Pak N-imbroglio at UNSC</b>
By Zia Iqbal Shahid
BRUSSELS: Despite a wide international acknowledgement of the official Pakistani position that âonly a few individuals, not the government of Pakistanâ was involved in nuclear peddling, European members of the IAEA apex board want to raise in the UN Security Council what they describe as the core question: <b>"whether a country incapable of guarding nuclear secrets can be trusted with nuclear weapons",</b> a credible diplomatic source here told The News.
The European countries also intend to raise the issue related to Pakistan at the forthcoming meeting of the IAEA board of governors in Vienna on March 8. The meeting is scheduled to discuss a report on the IAEAâs verification of nuclear programmes in Iran and Libya. IAEA Director General Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, according to the source, is engrossed in finalising the report, which he would send to the IAEA board of governors over the coming week.
"The issue of investigations on Pakistani scientistsâ alleged involvement in nuclear trafficking will also be touched during discussion on the director generalâs report on the IAEAâs verification of nuclear programmes in Iran and Libya," a source in Vienna confirmed.
Eleven EU countries represented at the 35-member IAEA board are: Denmark, Germany, France, the UK, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain (full members) and Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland (EU accession countries).
The EU members abhor Washington paradigm of unilateralism in handling the sensitive issue like nuclear proliferation and plead that the UNSC should play a key role in such problems, the source said.
The IAEA cannot do much in preventing nuclear proliferation by the non-NPT member states. The agency can only provide information to the member states, besides taking the case to the UN. "Coaxing non-NPT states to join the international treaty is essentially the responsibility of the member states, particularly the members of the nuclear club", the IAEA source said. There is a move in Europe to raise this issue in the forthcoming meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agencyâs board meeting on March 8, the official source confirmed.
Even the European countries including the UK and France that have applauded the Pakistani governmentâs handling of the nuclear scientists are raising what they describe as the core question: "whether a country incapable of guarding nuclear secrets can be trusted with nuclear weapons", a report underlined. They plead that multilateralism; the cardinal principle of the "EU Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction" should be put to practice with its full force in the context of Pakistanâs nuclear programme.
Presently, Europeans are engaged in such consultations surreptitiously. However, the trepidation of the web of authorised EU spokespersons in Brussels is conspicuous, as they are still following the policy of ambivalence in answering several questions on this issue. The Irish Presidency of the EU in Brussels is struggling hard to get answers to the questions on this issue sent by the EU accredited journalist, even after two weeks.
"Dear Sir, Please see attached extract from the Programme of the Irish Presidency of the EU which refers to Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. I will come back to you later when I get a response from Dublin on your query", the spokesperson of the Irish Presidency in Brussels, James McIntyre, said in a e-letter addressed to this scribe after several calls requesting the views of the current president of the EU on the Pakistani nuclear imbroglio.
The âextractâ underlines the policy of multilateralism and an essential role of the UN Security Council in handling the proliferation issues.
"A multilateral approach is also a key in countering the threat of proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and in promoting disarmament. This is reflected in the Unionâs âStrategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destructionâ, which the Irish Presidency has been tasked to carry forward," the extract further underlines.
The policy document regards the role of the UN Security Council in non-proliferation as central. "The Unionâs commitment to multilateralism permeates the Strategy; support for disarmament and non-proliferation treaties and fostering the role of the Security Council with regard to Weapons of Mass Destruction will be central elements of this work", emphasises the EU document excerpt provided by the presidencyâs spokesman. In several background briefings in Brussels, European diplomats have called for invoking the European Union (EU)âs "Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction".
Ignoring Pakistani President Pervez Musharrafâs demand that probe on European countries and individuals indicated in the IAEA documents should also be expedited, the European diplomats are increasingly asking whether Pakistan can be trusted with nuclear weapons."
Pakistan and India both are governors at the IAEA board for 2003-2004. The presence of China and the US at the IAEA board is regarded as elements of relief for Pakistan, as the board in its upcoming meeting in Vienna, would discuss the issues related to the ongoing investigations on the so-called nuclear black market. The IAEA board, chaired by a senior European diplomat, Ambassador and Permanent Representative from Spain, Antonio Nunez Garcia-Sauco consists of 35 countries.
www.Jang.com
By Zia Iqbal Shahid
BRUSSELS: Despite a wide international acknowledgement of the official Pakistani position that âonly a few individuals, not the government of Pakistanâ was involved in nuclear peddling, European members of the IAEA apex board want to raise in the UN Security Council what they describe as the core question: <b>"whether a country incapable of guarding nuclear secrets can be trusted with nuclear weapons",</b> a credible diplomatic source here told The News.
The European countries also intend to raise the issue related to Pakistan at the forthcoming meeting of the IAEA board of governors in Vienna on March 8. The meeting is scheduled to discuss a report on the IAEAâs verification of nuclear programmes in Iran and Libya. IAEA Director General Dr Mohamed ElBaradei, according to the source, is engrossed in finalising the report, which he would send to the IAEA board of governors over the coming week.
"The issue of investigations on Pakistani scientistsâ alleged involvement in nuclear trafficking will also be touched during discussion on the director generalâs report on the IAEAâs verification of nuclear programmes in Iran and Libya," a source in Vienna confirmed.
Eleven EU countries represented at the 35-member IAEA board are: Denmark, Germany, France, the UK, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain (full members) and Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland (EU accession countries).
The EU members abhor Washington paradigm of unilateralism in handling the sensitive issue like nuclear proliferation and plead that the UNSC should play a key role in such problems, the source said.
The IAEA cannot do much in preventing nuclear proliferation by the non-NPT member states. The agency can only provide information to the member states, besides taking the case to the UN. "Coaxing non-NPT states to join the international treaty is essentially the responsibility of the member states, particularly the members of the nuclear club", the IAEA source said. There is a move in Europe to raise this issue in the forthcoming meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agencyâs board meeting on March 8, the official source confirmed.
Even the European countries including the UK and France that have applauded the Pakistani governmentâs handling of the nuclear scientists are raising what they describe as the core question: "whether a country incapable of guarding nuclear secrets can be trusted with nuclear weapons", a report underlined. They plead that multilateralism; the cardinal principle of the "EU Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction" should be put to practice with its full force in the context of Pakistanâs nuclear programme.
Presently, Europeans are engaged in such consultations surreptitiously. However, the trepidation of the web of authorised EU spokespersons in Brussels is conspicuous, as they are still following the policy of ambivalence in answering several questions on this issue. The Irish Presidency of the EU in Brussels is struggling hard to get answers to the questions on this issue sent by the EU accredited journalist, even after two weeks.
"Dear Sir, Please see attached extract from the Programme of the Irish Presidency of the EU which refers to Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. I will come back to you later when I get a response from Dublin on your query", the spokesperson of the Irish Presidency in Brussels, James McIntyre, said in a e-letter addressed to this scribe after several calls requesting the views of the current president of the EU on the Pakistani nuclear imbroglio.
The âextractâ underlines the policy of multilateralism and an essential role of the UN Security Council in handling the proliferation issues.
"A multilateral approach is also a key in countering the threat of proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and in promoting disarmament. This is reflected in the Unionâs âStrategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destructionâ, which the Irish Presidency has been tasked to carry forward," the extract further underlines.
The policy document regards the role of the UN Security Council in non-proliferation as central. "The Unionâs commitment to multilateralism permeates the Strategy; support for disarmament and non-proliferation treaties and fostering the role of the Security Council with regard to Weapons of Mass Destruction will be central elements of this work", emphasises the EU document excerpt provided by the presidencyâs spokesman. In several background briefings in Brussels, European diplomats have called for invoking the European Union (EU)âs "Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction".
Ignoring Pakistani President Pervez Musharrafâs demand that probe on European countries and individuals indicated in the IAEA documents should also be expedited, the European diplomats are increasingly asking whether Pakistan can be trusted with nuclear weapons."
Pakistan and India both are governors at the IAEA board for 2003-2004. The presence of China and the US at the IAEA board is regarded as elements of relief for Pakistan, as the board in its upcoming meeting in Vienna, would discuss the issues related to the ongoing investigations on the so-called nuclear black market. The IAEA board, chaired by a senior European diplomat, Ambassador and Permanent Representative from Spain, Antonio Nunez Garcia-Sauco consists of 35 countries.
www.Jang.com