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WASHINGTON, April 28: The United States has said there are countries besides Iran, Libya and North Korea that may have obtained nuclear technology from the A.Q. Khan network.
John Bolton, US under secretary of state for arms control, said on Tuesday the network might have passed sensitive technology to 'several nations'. But he refused to name them.
Talking to reporters after addressing a UN meeting to prepare for a review of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), Mr Bolton said: "There's a lot of information that we don't necessarily have corroboration for. There's more out there than we can discuss publicly.
The disclosure can have negative implications for Pakistan and may encourage those in the United States who are urging the Bush administration to review its relations with Pakistan in light of the nuclear scandal.
Recently, pro-Indian Congressman Gary Ackerman, moved a resolution aiming at preventing the Bush administration from making Pakistan a non-Nato major ally. More than 30 lawmakers have already endorsed the move.
Senior US officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, have publicly said they might urge President Pervez Musharraf to reconsider his decision to pardon Dr Khan if there are more revelations about his activities.
Agencies add: Mr Bolton said Iran was lying about its nuclear programme. Tehran claims it is intended for civilian energy purposes only. "If we permit Iran's deception to go on much longer, it will be too late," he said. "Iran will have nuclear weapons."
Last week, US President George Bush said any development of an atomic weapon by Tehran would be "intolerable". Mr Bolton said that while the United States had not pressed the IAEA to report Tehran to the Security Council yet, he expected that the agency would 'at some point' need to do so.
"If Iran continues its unwillingness to comply with the NPT, the council can then take up this issue as a threat to international peace and security," said Mr Bolton.
About North Korea, which is in an 18-month stand off with the United States over its nuclear weapons programme, Mr Bolton said: "North Korea's use of the NPT as a cover to hide its nuclear weapons ambitions, and its subsequent withdrawal from the treaty, constitute the clearest example of a state cynically manipulating the NPT to threaten the international community with its nuclear weapons programme".
