WASHINGOTN, Aug 10: The United States has sought to play down a former Dutch prime minister’s revelation that his country did not prosecute Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan for passing atomic secrets to Pakistan in 1979 at the instance of the Central Intelligence Agency.

“It is not something that I feel we really have anything to say about because it deals with events long in the past,” State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli said on Tuesday.

Former Dutch prime minister Ruud Lubbers had said on Tuesday that the Dutch government let Dr Khan ago, who worked in the Netherlands between 1975 and 1986, even after they received information that the scientist was involved in stealing secrets about enrichment of uranium.

He was never indicted for his activities because the CIA had asked the Netherlands to let him go, Mr Lubbers, who was minister of economy in 1975, told VPRO radio.

Dr Khan, who is considered father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, worked as an engineer in the Netherlands at Urenco, a uranium enrichment plant.

“I don’t have any comment on that,” said Mr Ereli when asked to comment on the statement.

“Is it just because you didn’t prepare any, or you’re not going to comment,” he was asked.

“Both. I saw the report, looked at it. It’s not something that I feel we really have anything to say about,” said Mr Ereli.

Asked why not, he said that because it dealt with events long in the past and with intelligence matters.