November 20, 2007	Tuesday	Ziqa’ad 09, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Nov 19: The Foreign Office on Monday rebutted a report published in The New York Times, “US secretly aids Pakistan in guarding nuclear arms”, saying that it gave a “distorted picture” of the cooperation on nuclear safety, for which Pakistan’s “red lines” had always been clear.

A statement issued by the Foreign Office spokesperson noted: “The New York Times of Nov 18 has published a story titled ‘US secretly aids Pakistan in guarding nuclear arms”, which gives distorted and exaggerated picture of our efforts to learn from best practices of other countries with regard to their nuclear safety and export controls.”

The spokesperson observed: “Nuclear security is an area in which it is in everyone’s interest to ensure that the best possible procedures are in place. Even the most advanced states continue to upgrade their systems and benefit from the experience of other countries.”

He added: “Accordingly, Pakistan and the US have been engaged in mutually agreeable cooperation which is essentially in the nature of rudimentary training and ideas to strengthen security and surveillance. Similarly the equipment mentioned in the story for tracing nuclear material is of a basic nature and is needed to prevent smuggling of such materials from ports or other exit points.”

However, the spokesperson declared: “For the purpose of this cooperation, Pakistan’s red lines have always been clear which ensure that our control and safety procedures remain fully protected and secure.”

He recalled that Pakistani officials, during their briefings to the media and the parliamentarians, had already spoken on the matter and there was nothing sensational about the cooperation, as the New York Times story appeared to imply.—Q.A