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Pakistan holds up start of UN nuclear disarmament talks
Geneva (AFP) Aug 10, 2009 Pakistan on Monday held up the resumption of nuclear arms control negotiations at the UN Conference on Disarmament as it asked to reopen a work plan already agreed on by the main nuclear powers. The Pakistan delegation, which on Friday asked for more time to consult with Islamabad, on Monday said it wanted fresh discussions on procedural questions in a draft text detailing the various heads of negotiating groups and the timetable for the talks. "I was told by the Pakistan (delegation) that they have received instructions and the instructions are to reopen the text that I thought we had agreed on," said Caroline Millar, the Australian chairwoman of the conference. "I'm concerned that the compromise that we have may be put in jeopardy," she added. Disarmament negotiations have been stalled since 1996 but a thaw in US-Russia relations following Barack Obama's arrival in the White House, and a renewed superpower pledge to back the separate Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, generated fresh momentum. In May, the nuclear powers agreed to restart talks by agreeing on a work plan for 2009 which would cover the issue of full nuclear disarmament, a ban on fissile material and the arms race in outer space. Pakistan's ambassador said it was not his country's intention to hold up progress but it had to work for its own "national security interests." Diplomats expressed dismay at Pakistan's move. "We express our profound disappointment at the latest development in the Conference on Disarmament (CD)," said Swedish ambassador Magnus Hellgren, speaking on behalf of the European Union. "Since the 29th of May, the CD was again involved in endless consultations on mainly practical procedures issues related to the programme of work," he said. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi is due to address the conference on Wednesday but this has "nothing to do" with Pakistan's stand, diplomats said. Pakistan tested its first nuclear weapons in 1998 during in a tense stand-off with long-time rival India which conducted its first test in 1974. 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
Myanmar defectors tell Australians of nuclear plans: reportSydney (AFP) Aug 1, 2009 North Korea is helping Myanmar build a secret nuclear reactor and plutonium extraction plant to build an atomic bomb within five years, a report said Saturday, citing the evidence of defectors. The nuclear complex is hidden inside a mountain at Naung Laing, in Myanmar's north, and runs parallel to a civil reactor being built at another site by Russia, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. ... read more |
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