November 16, 2003	Sunday	Ramazan 20, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 15: Pakistani officials have received the CIA review report on weapons proliferation trends with lot of reservations, saying some of the information contained in it is in the public domain and relations with China do not violate any international convention.

Officials in a policy think tank of the Foreign Office said the allegations about nuclear cooperation between Pakistan and China “are without any substantive proof.”

Moreover, Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan told Dawn that the FO would give a detailed response to the report on Monday.

The CIA report, sent to the US Congress on Nov 10 and now available with Pakistani officials, reviews foreign countries’ acquisitions of dual-use and other technology useful for the development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and advanced conventional weapons (ACW).

Addressing Pakistan-China relations, the CIA report focuses on nuclear and advanced conventional weapons proliferation between the two countries.

Additionally, the report stated that several Western European countries remained willing to negotiate ACW sales to Libya, India, Pakistan, and other countries in order to preserve their domestic defence industries.

The report, without any evidence, alleges continued contacts between Chinese entities and entities associated with Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme.

Regarding ACWs, the report said that during the first half of 2003, China remained a primary supplier of advanced conventional weapons to Pakistan and Iran.

“Islamabad also continued to negotiate with Beijing to build up to four frigates for Pakistan’s navy and to develop the FC-1 fighter aircraft.”

Officials in PAF and Pakistan Navy told Dawn that the report “has nothing new to say” as the deals were made public by the Pakistani defence establishment itself.

“This is an old story and already we have announced several times the details of Pakistan’s naval contracts with China,” Pakistan Navy’s spokesperson Captain Shahid Nabeel said.

PAF spokesperson Air Commodore Sarfraz said “there is no secret” that FC-1 aircraft “is being developed with Chinese cooperation.” He said FC-1 “is named as JF 17 Thunder by Pakistan.”

About missile proliferation, the CIA report said that Chinese entities continued to work with Pakistan and Iran on ballistic missile-related projects during the first half of 2003.

“Chinese entity assistance has helped Pakistan move toward domestic serial production of solid-propellant SRBMs and supported Pakistan’s development of solid-propellant MRBMs.”

Commenting on it, Institute of Strategic Studies’ director general Dr Shireen Mazari said the military cooperation between Pakistan and China “does not violate any international convention” unlike the US-India relations violating the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). She said allegations about nuclear cooperation between Pakistan and China “are without any substantive proof.”

Documenting acquisition and supply activities of Iran, the CIA report said the United States “remains concerned that Iran is developing enrichment technology to produce fissile material for nuclear weapons under the cover of legitimate fuel cycle activities. The report also reviews the weapons programmes of Iran, North Korea, Libya, Syria, and Sudan.

The report also identifies key suppliers, including entities in Russia, North Korea, and China which, according to CIA, “are seemingly motivated by financial gain.”