LAHORE, April 18: The international community should create an atmosphere conducive for putting in place a mechanism for on-site inspection of Iran’s nuclear programme so that suspicions about Tehran’s plans to have nuclear weapons are addressed and Iran’s honour is not dented.

This was said by Foreign Minister Khurshid M. Kasuri at a news conference at the State Guest House on Tuesday.

When his attention was drawn to a debate going on in the US media whether Washington should use nuclear weapons to dismantle Iran’s nuclear installations, he said Pakistan was strongly opposed to such thinking.

“It’s a very dangerous option. It should not even be thought of,” Mr Kasuri said and stressed the need for a ‘non-violent’ resolution of the issue. He said ‘diplomacy should be given a chance’ to settle the issue.

He warned the use of nuclear option against Iran would have ‘devastating consequences for the Islamic countries’ and said many Americans were also opposed to the use of nuclear weapons against Iran.

He said since Iran was a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, it should get the rights given by the treaty and also honour its obligations enjoined by it.

He said Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had repeatedly said that his country had no intention to develop nuclear weapons as Islam did not permit it to do so.

TIES WITH INDIA: Rejecting the impression that warmth in Indo-Pak relations was disappearing with the passage of time, Mr Kasuri said Islamabad hoped that the two countries would soon reach an agreement on Siachen and Sir Creek.

“Both the governments are moving in the right direction.”

FOREIGN VISIT: Mr Kasuri is leaving for a visit to Turkey and Germany on Wednesday (today).

In Turkey, he will meet its president, prime minister and national assembly speaker.