ISLAMABAD, March 13: The United States on Monday ruled out the possibility of offering civilian nuclear technology and advised Pakistan to concentrate on alternative sources of energy.

“Our strategic partnership with Pakistan does not include discussion on civilian nuclear energy. It was not at all a subject of my discussion with Pakistani authorities,” said US Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman.

Addressing a news conference after talks with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri, Mr Bodman said his country was opposed to the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project on the grounds that Teheran was trying to develop nuclear weapons.

“We do not encourage contractual agreement about this gas project,” he said, adding that the government should pursue gas projects with Turkmenistan or Qatar.

He declined to comment when it was pointed out that China, which had offered already two nuclear power plants to Pakistan, was considering providing two more such plants.

The US official urged the government to improve the security situation in Balochistan to attract foreign investment, especially from the United States.

“There is a potential security issue in Balochistan and unless there is a substantial reduction in that risk, it is hard to think that there would be any substantial American investment there.”

Asked about President Pervez Musharraf’s statement last week that Pakistan was hoping to obtain a 1,000mw nuclear power plant from the US, he replied: “There is no such thing I have discussed here. I told you that I am not here to discuss the issue of offering civilian nuclear cooperation to Pakistan. Let me make it clear to you that nuclear energy is not part of our agenda. Therefore, it did not come up for discussion.”

He said his meetings were a follow-up of what had been discussed during President Bush’s visit here earlier this month. “I came here to further develop strategic partnership that exists between the two countries.”

Mr Bodman said his visit aimed to assess the energy needs of Islamabad and help develop energy cooperation between Pakistan and Central Asia. He said Pakistani scientists had been invited to visit Washington to discuss the support the US could offer.

Answering a question, he said India and Pakistan were two different countries with different needs, different history and different programmes.

“And the arrangements we have made with India have been understood by the Indians, Pakistanis and the Americans. Therefore, they cannot be compared with each other,” he pointed out.

Mr Bodman said Pakistan had different set of problems and advised the government to look for renewable energy sources like wind, solar, oil and hydel-power.

He emphasised that only one per cent energy was nuclear-based, whereas 99 per cent was obtained from coal and oil and renewable sources.

In reply to a question, he said he had also discussed various obstacles to rapid expansion in the energy field.

Mr Bodman said his department was actively looking to help Pakistan conduct research in physics, chemistry and other scientific fields for which 15 American laboratories, including the one based in Colorado, could help find solution to Pakistan’s various energy problems.

He said the Bush administration wanted to ensure cooperation with Pakistani public and private sectors in the field of energy.

“We have agreed to look into any excessive regulations to ensure that we develop cooperation in many other fields other than nuclear.”

He described President Bush’s visit to Pakistan as historic which would usher in an era of strategic partnership between the two countries.

Asked about cooperation in any specific energy project, he said: “We will be working for one gas pipeline project.”

He said the project would not come as a surprise, adding: “We have taken the position that we will not encourage Iran gas pipeline. They (Iranians) should be stopped from developing nuclear weapons.”

He said the US could help Pakistan conduct a survey of various locations for developing solar and other sources of energy.

Asked whether the US would offer financial assistance for any gas pipeline project, he said it was an expensive and specialised undertaking which could not be decided instantly and that it always took time to finalise such projects.