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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday cautioned that creating exceptions for any country in civil nuclear cooperation was not only a step backward in terms of promoting nuclear cooperation for peaceful purpose but also had serious implications for regional and global security.
Referring to France-India nuclear accord at a weekly briefing here, Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said that country-specific exceptions were inherently counter-productive as these resulted in mistrust and non-cooperation.
The spokesman underlined that there was no alternative to criteria-based approaches towards promoting international cooperation, peace and prosperity around the world.
Commenting on Pakistan's position on the Fissile Material Cut- off Treaty (FMCT), the spokesman said that Pakistan would never compromise on its legitimate security requirements.
He said, “Pakistan's position on the issue is based on principles and keeping with our security interests.”
Answering a question he did not agree that Pakistan-France relations were on the slide adding that these relations were on the upward trajectory.
“President Sarkozy is planning to visit Pakistan next year and that will provide a good opportunity to take bilateral relations to new heights,” he added. – APP
