24 February 2004	Tuesday	03 Muharram 1425

ISLAMABAD, Feb 23: Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri said on Monday terrorists who had committed crime against the US would be handed over to Washington if caught.

Talking to reporters at the Foreign Office, Mr Kasuri said that the terrorists who had committed crime against the US would be handed over to American authorities if they demanded so. Pakistan's preference would be to extradite them to their country of origin, he added. However, he said, those Pakistanis found involved in harbouring or supporting the terrorists would be tried in the country. "We will try them in our own country," he added.

He said that an amnesty was already announced for those who surrender that they would not be handed over to a country other than their own. Replying to a question if there was any pressure on Pakistan to launch an operation to hunt Osama bin Ladin, the foreign minister said Pakistan would not allow it's territory to be used for terrorism.

About the intelligence sharing, he said that there was cooperation between Pakistan and the United States ever since Islamabad joined the war against terrorism.

Replying to a question if the US had requested for any additional facilities for landing troops in the NWFP and Balochistan in addition to the bases that were already given immediately after the Sept 11 attacks, Mr Kasuri said: "First of all let me make it clear that there are no such bases. Secondly, no body has asked us for any additional help. Pakistan has enough forces of its own to tackle the situation."

About President Gen Pervez Musharraf's statement that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal could be at stake if the extremists continued to operate, the foreign minister said: "Let's not take the statement out of context."

He said that the president had clearly said that there was no question of nuclear rollback. Mr Kasuri said Pakistan would continue to make progress and in that connection more missile tests had been announced and some missiles had been handed over to the army.

He said that in the last meeting of the Nuclear Command Authority decision to test a missile of the Shaheen class was taken. "It would be of a fairly long range," he added, without giving the timing for the test.