WASHINGTON, June 7: Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan said on Saturday that Pakistan would have to improve security arrangements at its ports if it wanted to continue to export its products to the United States.

A new US regime requires all exporting nations to ensure the security of their consignments from the production to the delivery point.

Under this arrangement, introduced after the 9/11 attacks, authorities in the country of origin will have to watch every item as it leaves the assembly line. They are required to check each container as it is packed and ensure that it is not tampered with until it arrives at a port of entry in the United States.

US customs officials will have the right to delay or return any shipment that they believe could be a security risk.

“They are very serious about implementing this new procedure, very, very serious,” said the commerce minister while talking to journalists at the Pakistan embassy here during a visit to the US.

“If we want to continue to export our goods to the United States, if we do not want our goods to be returned home or be delayed, we will have to follow this procedure,” he said.

Pakistan, he said, would also have to confront restrictions related to environment and social issues. “We will have to make sure that our industries meet international standards for the environment and social justice.”

The minister said the government realized that political instability and lawlessness discouraged investment but said despite the current internal situation and an international economic slowdown “Pakistan’s economy continues to do quite well.”

The minister, who arrived in Washington on Thursday, said Pakistan and the US had already started negotiations on the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).

The agreement, he said, would hopefully be signed during the visit of President Pervez Musharraf who arrives here on June 24.