December 5, 2002	Thursday	Ramazan 29,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: Pakistan conveyed to the Bush administration on Wednesday that it took a serious exception to publishing of controversial reports in the US papers about alleged Pakistan-North Korea nuclear cooperation.

The issue came up during talks between Pakistani leaders and officials and the US Deputy National Security adviser, Stephen Hadley, during his visit to the capital.

Pakistan objected to what it termed baseless reports appearing in major US dailies about transfer of nuclear technology from Pakistan to North Korea, sources privy to the talks told Dawn.

“We protested the publishing of such reports despite Pakistan’s consistent rejection of these allegations,” sources said, indicating that Pakistan’s subtle message was: “We have had enough and it must stop now.”

When a senior official who was present at the meeting was queried about the response received from the US dignitary on this matter he remained tight-lipped, saying: “We are not saying much on that.”

The reported nuclear link with ‘axis of evil’ member North Korea, denied emphatically by Pakistan, provoked a sharp warning from the US government of its severe consequences last month.

There was “no special message” that the key aide of the US president carried for Pakistan, officials maintained. They insisted that it was a routine get-to-know visit with no set agenda.

Stephen Hadley arrived here early Wednesday for consultations with Pakistani officials. He is the first official of US National Security Council, a key strategic office within the White House, to visit Pakistan after the 9/11.

The US official called on both President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali. He also held a separate meeting with Secretary National Security Council Tariq Aziz during his day-long visit that started with a meeting with Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar and other senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“We had all-round discussions on a wide range of bilateral and regional issues,” a senior official told this correspondent.

Hadley expressed the US government’s desire to strengthen relations with Pakistan particularly in the economic field, the official added.

“There was talk of expanding the Joint Ministerial Commission to other areas including science and technology and social sectors,” informed sources said, adding that Pakistan stressed the need to increase the level of relations particularly in the fields of trade and commerce.

Non-proliferation, Pakistan-India relations, Afghanistan, Iraq and Middle East featured in the review of regional matters, officials said.

Earlier in the day, Hadley had some in-house meetings at the US Embassy, a US official told Dawn.

Stephen Hadley is one of the top representatives of the US National Security Council that advises the president on national security and foreign policy.

Hadley is scheduled to leave Islamabad on Thursday morning for New Delhi where he will hold consultations with the Indian government.

PAKISTAN-INDIA TALKS: Pakistan and the United States underlined the importance of an “early resumption” of dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi to normalise relations plagued by the dispute over Kashmir, Pakistani officials said, add agencies.

“The discussions between the two sides focussed on bilateral issues as well as the regional situation, particularly Pakistan-India relations and Afghanistan,” a foreign ministry statement said.

With regard to Kashmir, “both sides (put) emphasis upon the importance of normalisation of Pakistan-India relations and early resumption of the bilateral dialogue to address all outstanding issues.”

SPOKESMAN: US Embassy spokesman Terry White described Hadley’s visit as “routine” and said the discussions focused on “a whole range of bilateral issues.”

White said more such visits would take place in the coming months as relations between the two countries were “getting back to normal”.

ROLE LAUDED: US Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley met President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali on Wednesday and conveyed his government’s deep appreciation for the indispensable role played by Pakistan in the war against terrorism.

He also expressed the US government’s appreciation at the smooth transfer of power to a democratically elected government and warmly felicitated Prime Minister Jamali on assuming the office.

Hadley also held talks with senior Pakistani officials.

The existing situation in South Asia including the Kashmir issue was discussed during these meetings between the two sides. Bilateral issues and other international issues also came under discussion.

Both sides emphasized upon the importance of normalization of Pakistan-India relations and the early resumption of the bilateral dialogue to address all outstanding issues.

The two sides also reviewed the situation in the Middle East especially in the backdrop of the return of the UN monitoring team to Iraq.

Hadley underlined the importance of the United States government attached to strengthening bilateral relations with Pakistan and to make them more broad-based and enduring.

In this regard, the US side expressed a strong interest in focusing on commercial and economic relations between the two countries.