ISLAMABAD, March 31: France, Egypt and Algeria have supported Pakistan’s stance that the US-led war on Iraq should have had the United Nation’s backing, interior minister Faisal Saleh Hayat said on Monday.

Addressing a news conference at the interior ministry on his return from a visit to France, Egypt and Algeria, he said Pakistan’s nuclear installations were well protected.

The minister ruled out any possibility of Pakistan’s nuclear programme being targeted by the United States saying that it would not be easy.

“Pakistan has a sophisticated air defence system with backup support system that have been installed at all nuclear installations to foil any air attack,” he said in reply to a question whether a stray missile of US-led coalition forces engaged in Iraq could hit Pakistan’s nuclear installations.

Mr Hayat said India and Israel could take advantage of the prevailing Gulf crisis and harm Pakistan’s interests.

Responding to a question about the US-Pakistan relations after the US attack on Iraq, he said relations between the two countries remained unchanged.

“But it’s a fact that the US had high expectations from Pakistan, but being a Muslim state we had some other obligations as well,” he said.

Talking about the ongoing operation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Pakistan against Al Qaeda network, the minister said: “The US may have its own objectives, but Pakistan allowed the operation due to security concerns,” he said.

Asked why Pakistan had not as yet declared Al Qaeda a terrorist organizations, the minister said the government was completing legal formalities in this connection.

Taking about his recent visit, he said like Pakistan, France too was opposed to the US attack on Iraq and wanted a peaceful solution of the conflict.

The minister said France will assist Pakistan in national security-related projects like the establishment of a special investigation cell in Federal Investigation Agency, forensic science laboratories, fingerprint tracing system, police networking and improvement in Frontier Constabulary and coastal guard.

He said a French delegation headed by its interior minister will visit Pakistan in the near future to further boost bilateral relations specially in the field of national and international security.

About his time in Egypt, he said he had delivered a message from President Pervez Musharraf to the Egyptian President.

Mr Hayat said he had singed an extradition treaty with Algeria under which both countries will be able to exchange prisoners.

He said Algeria wanted to open a new chapter of bilateral and fraternal relations between the two countries.

The minister said Algerian judicial and parliamentary delegations will be visiting Pakistan in the near future.

About the Kashmir issue, he said, all three countries he visited supported Pakistan’s stance and felt that the conflict should be resolved through dialogue.