June 21, 2008	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Sani 16, 1429

WASHINGTON, June 20: Pakistan is not helping and is unlikely to help Middle Eastern countries acquire nuclear weapon or offer nuclear protection to them, says the editor of a new report on nuclear programmes in the Middle East.

Mark Kirkpatrick, who is associated with the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), London, told a briefing in Washington on Thursday that the so-called Khan network of proliferators had been rolled up and was unlikely to indulge in proliferation activities again.Mr Kirkpatrick noted that the Khan network had not only been made ineffective but the international community also had precluded the chances of its re-emergence.

He, however, warned that there may still be people in Europe who worked with the Khan network and may be willing to assist other countries or groups interested in acquiring nuclear weapons.

But the IISS expert felt that should this happen, “international intelligence agencies will find out and stop it.”

Mr Kirkcpatrick also rejected a suggestion that Pakistan may sell nuclear weapons and missiles to Saudi Arabia.

He noted that Islamabad had had a security relationship with Riyadh since 1970s, but he did not see Pakistan providing nuclear weapons to the Saudis.

Mr Kickpatrick said that since Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were both very secretive about the nature of their relationship, it was difficult to say what security guarantees Islamabad had offered to Riyadh.