US reaffirms confidence in safety of Pak nuclear assets

WASHINGTON: The United States has reaffirmed its confidence in the safety of Pakistani nuclear assets following Sunday night's terrorist attack on Karachi's Jinnah International Airport.

We believe the Pakistani Government understands the importance of protecting all of its arsenal including things related to its nuclear program Deputy Spokesperson at the State Department Marie Harf said at the daily briefing.

We know that they care about this a great deal and have no reason at this point to think it's anything but safe she added when asked about the U.S. views on safety of Pakistani nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, in the wake of terrorist assault on Karachi airport the State Department has said the United States stands steadfast in its commitment to the people of Pakistan in their efforts to counter terrorism and build a peaceful future.

We support Pakistan's efforts to bring all those involved in planning and executing this attack to justice spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement. Regrettably she noted the Pakistani people face violent assaults from numerous groups.

She also expressed the United States sincere condolences to those affected by this heinous attack on pilgrims in Balochistan and said Washington strongly condemns those responsible. Extremist violence against innocent Pakistani men, women and children of any faith is an assault on universal human values.

We encourage the government to take steps to protect and improve the lives of members of Pakistan's minorities and take concrete steps to promote tolerance and religious freedom.

World cooperation must to ensure nuclear security: Nawaz

 

THE HAGUE: Emphasising that Pakistan’s peaceful nuclear programme posed no threat to any country, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday underlined the need for constant vigilance and preparedness at the national level as well as international cooperation to strengthen the nuclear security.
“Let me clarify that there is no such thing as ‘nuclear security fatigue’. Nuclear security is a continuous national responsibility,” the prime minister said in his opening remarks at the ‘Informal Plenary on the future of the Nuclear Security Summit’.

He suggested that in the years to come, the states should maintain political will and high level focus to advance the agenda of nuclear security.“In future, while implementing our decisions, we have to strike a balance between confidentiality and openness and steer away from both alarmism and complacency. Nuclear security must not fade off the leaders’ radar screens,” he maintained.

The prime minister expressed the pleasure that US President Barack Obama would be hosting the next nuclear security summit (NSS) in 2016. “It is only fitting that this process, which was launched in the United States, is also concluded there. We know we cannot hold the summits in perpetuity,” he added.

He said in the past four years, three summits had made progress and the next summit would cover a fresh ground. “We have to look beyond the present process and the 2016.”

He also stressed the need for broadening participation in this process to widen its ownership to enhance its legitimacy.

“It makes perfect sense that beyond 2016 the entire membership of the IAEA owns and upholds the decisions taken by the nuclear security summits,” he opined.“In close consultation with the IAEA membership, we should dispel the impression that the NSS process is imposing new mandates on the agency.”

“As we go forward, we will have to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort. We are not creating parallel mechanisms or a new treaty regime,” he said.He said in post-2016, the focus should be on synergy and coordination among various components of the nuclear security architecture — which comprises the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), the UN 1540 Committee, conventions on physical protection of nuclear material and the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism, and relevant international forums.

“The process, we envisage, could be supported by senior officials and experts. The exact cycle and scope of the follow-up process, led by the IAEA, could be discussed at the 2016 summit,” he added.

“By 2016, our four summits would have put substantial content on the table for follow-up and implementation, which are key for strengthened international cooperation,” he added.Meanwhile, talking to French President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit here, Nawaz said the economy of Pakistan had suffered heavily in the war against terrorism and the Friends of Pakistan must acknowledge its sacrifices in a tangible manner.

Nawaz said the international community should reciprocate Pakistan by helping and supporting its trade and economy. He said Pakistan attached special importance to its relations with France and expressed the hope that these relations would continue to improve in all fields of cooperation in future.

The prime minister told the French president that Pakistan was keen to normalise its relations with India and underlined the importance of solution to the Kashmir issue. Hollande said France acknowledged Pakistan’s sacrifices in the war on terror and appreciated the economic reforms being undertaken by the government. He also appreciated Pakistan’s initiative to normalise its relations with India.

He said France was also looking towards improving relations with Pakistan in all fields, especially in trade and defence.Nawaz also met German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday and discussed with her matters of mutual interest, including the bilateral trade. He termed the meeting “productive”.

In an interaction with media persons following the meeting, the prime minister said he thanked the German chancellor for her country’s support to Pakistan to get the GSP Plus status.The prime minister said Pakistan’s relations with India and Afghanistan also came under discussion.

Meanwhile, 35 countries on Tuesday pledged to turn international guidelines on nuclear security into national laws — a move aimed at preventing terrorists from getting their hands onto nuclear material.

The Tuesday’s initiative also commits countries to open up their security procedures to independent review, marking a further step towards creating an international legal framework to thwart nuclear terrorism, said a joint statement from the Netherlands, the United States and South Korea.

Pakistan be made part of Nuclear Suppliers Group, says Nawaz

 

THE HAGUE: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Monday said Pakistan had the expertise, manpower and infrastructure to produce civil nuclear energy and called for the country’s inclusion in all international export control regimes, especially the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Speaking at the third Nuclear Security Summit here, he said Pakistan had been running a safe and secure civil nuclear programme for more than 40 years and attached the highest importance to nuclear security because it was directly linked to its national security.

“Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state and pursues a policy of nuclear restraint, as well as credible minimum deterrence,” the prime minister said.Leaders from 53 countries, the United Nations, the European Union, International Atomic Energy Agency and Interpol are attending the summit.

“Our region needs peace and stability for economic development that benefits its people. That is why, I strongly advocate nuclear restraint, balance in conventional forces and ways to resolve conflicts,” the prime minister said.

He said Pakistan’s nuclear security was supported by five pillars — a strong command and control system led by the National Command Authority (NCA), an integrated intelligence system, a rigorous regulatory regime, a comprehensive export control regime and active international cooperation.

The prime minister said Pakistan’s security regime covered physical protection, material control and accounting, border controls and radiological emergencies.He said Pakistan’s nuclear materials, facilities and assets were safe and secure and the country’s nuclear security regime was anchored in the principle of multi-layered defence for the entire spectrum — insider, outsider or cyber threat.

The prime minister said Pakistan had established a Centre of Excellence that conducted intense specialised courses in nuclear security, physical protection and personnel reliability. He said Pakistan was ready to share its best practices and training facilities with other interested states in the region and beyond.

He also paid tributes to President Barack Obama for launching the nuclear security summit process four years ago.“As prime minister, I feel that energy deficit is one of the most serious crises facing Pakistan. As we revive our economy, we look forward to international cooperation and assistance for nuclear energy under the IAEA safeguards,” he added.

He said international treaties and forums should supplement national actions to fortify the nuclear security.He said Pakistan was a partyto the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) and worked closely with the IAEA to deal with safety and security of radioactive sources and illicit trafficking of nuclear materials.

The prime minister said Pakistan regularly submitted reports to the UN Security Council’s 1540 Committee on the measures the country took to exercise control over transfer of sensitive materials and technologies.

“Looking back, we can say with confidence that our decisions and commitments have spurred national action, promoted international cooperation and fostered nuclear security culture,” the prime minister said, adding that Pakistan has constructively contributed to this process.

The prime minister said all leaders gathered here wanted nuclear security, which was a national responsibility and a global priority.He said all the countries should continue to take measures to secure all nuclear facilities and materials and prevent any perceived nuclear terrorist threat.

“We all need radioactive sources for hospitals, industry and research but should be vigilant about radiological threats,” he added.Premier Nawaz also met the US President Barrack Obama, Chinese President XI Jinping and Turkish President Abdullah Gul on the sidelines of the two-day summit and discussed with them matters of bilateral relations and mutual interest.

He is accompanied by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry.Meanwhile, talking to media persons after meeting with the US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the summit, Nawaz Sharif said he had informed John Kerry of Pakistan’s desire to use a third party to resolve the Kashmir dispute with India.

“The Kashmir issue should be resolved. India is unwilling to use a third party to resolve the issue. The US needs to play a role in normalising relations in the region.” The prime minister said the purpose of his visit to Afghanistan was to create a ‘positive atmosphere’ between the two countries.

“Some people are trying to derail this process,” Nawaz said. The premier said he had expressed Pakistan’s praise for the US policy of stopping drone attacks in the tribal areas. “The policy of restraint adopted by the US should continue.”

Kerry told Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that the United States will continue to work with Pakistan for the elimination of terrorism. He also assured the prime minister of cooperation to meet its energy needs.

Speaking to the media following their meeting, John Kerry said the two countries were “deeply engaged.” “We have great confidence in Pakistan’s nuclear security,” Kerry told reporters. Prime Minister Sharif said: “There are a lot of challenges and we are meeting these challenges.” The prime minister also mentioned his positive meeting with US President Obama a few months ago in Washington, DC.