 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Washington (AFP) June 10, 2010 Myanmar risks destabilizing Southeast Asia through its pursuit of weapons, although it is not yet clear whether the military regime is developing a nuclear program, a US official said Thursday. A senior army defector, in a recent documentary broadcast on Al Jazeera television, said the junta has been seeking nuclear weapons and developing a secret network of underground tunnels with help from North Korea. Scot Marciel, the State Department official in charge of Southeast Asia, said that the United States was still assessing the allegations about Myanmar -- also known as Burma. "I think there's two issues. One is whether there is some kind of serious nuclear program in Burma, which certainly would be tremendously destabilizing to the entire region," Marciel testified at a congressional hearing. "There's also the Burmese acquisition of other military equipment -- conventional -- which also can affect regional stability," he said. "We're looking at both of those questions very closely," said Marciel, the deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs. A senior Myanmar official last week told AFP that the accusations of a nuclear program were "groundless," without elaborating. On a visit to Myanmar in May, Marciel's superior, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, expressed concern about a suspected arms shipment from North Korea and sought assurances from the regime. Senator Jim Webb, one of the most vocal US advocates of engagement with Myanmar, abruptly canceled a visit to the country earlier this month due to the allegations of cooperation with North Korea. Addressing the Asia Society on Wednesday, Webb said he was still waiting to learn more about the allegations but decided it would be counterproductive to visit Myanmar at the time the documentary was broadcast. President Barack Obama's administration last year opened dialogue with Myanmar, concluding that the previous approach of isolating the regime had not borne fruit. But the administration has voiced deep concern about elections later this year, which the opposition considers a sham to legitimize military rule.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Evidence points to Myanmar nuclear programBangkok (UPI) Jun 7, 2010 Myanmar's military dictatorship is working on nuclear weapons, a report by a Norway human rights and democracy group claims. The evidence from Myanmar, formerly called Burma, is analyzed in a 30-page report by a former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Robert Kelley, and published on the Web site of the non-profit Democratic Voice of Burma. Myanmar is likely min ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook