 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Petraeus confident Pakistan nuclear arms secure
Washington (AFP) May 10, 2009 US regional commander General David Petraeus expressed confidence Sunday that Pakistan's nuclear sites are secure from any attempted seizure by the Taliban. "We have confidence in their security procedures and elements and believe that the security of those sites is adequate," the chief of US Central Command said on the "Fox News Sunday" program. Petraeus welcomed what he described as a new mood of determination by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's government to take on the Taliban, following White House talks between Zardari and President Barack Obama. There was now a "degree of unanimity that there must be swift and effective action taken against the Taliban in Pakistan," he said, noting a shift of army troops from the border with India to the region under threat from the militia. "This is a Pakistani fight, a Pakistani battle, with elements that ... threaten the very existence of the Pakistani state." Petraeus said Al-Qaeda had been "back in business for years" and its senior leadership were at large "in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of that very rugged border region of western Pakistan just east of Afghanistan." But he said there had been no occasion that required US troops to go in hot pursuit of militants over the border from Afghanistan into Pakistan. "No. And I think we have been unequivocal in saying that this is not about us putting combat boots on the ground (in Pakistan)," he said in a separate interview with CNN. During his Washington visit, Zardari said the violent Islamic insurgency did not pose a threat to his government's survival and insisted his country's nuclear arsenal was safe. He received backing on the nuclear question from Obama, but some other top US officials including National Security Advisor James Jones have expressed concern. 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
US: Iran threat underlines need for Israel to seek peaceWashington (AFP) May 10, 2009 The US government agrees that Iran's nuclear ambitions pose an "existential threat" to Israel but that only reinforces the need for Middle East peace, a top official said Sunday. General James Jones, President Barack Obama's national security advisor, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would hear the US message on the need for a "two-state" solution first-hand when he comes here ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - 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