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Pentagon says Pakistan nuclear
arsenal of 'concern'
AFP
Thursday November 8, 2007
A top Pentagon official on Wednesday said the fate of Pakistan's
military arsenal was a "primary concern" after President
Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency in his country.
Washington was keeping a close eye on Pakistan's nuclear arsenal
following the recent upheaval, said Lieutenant General Carter
Ham, Director of Operations with the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"We will watch that very closely," he told reporters.
"Any time there is a regime that has nuclear weapons and
that experiences a situation like in Pakistan, of course there
is a primary concern."
Former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto said in an interview
with the German daily Bild Wednesday that she was worried about
what would happen if extremists managed to win hold of the country's
nuclear arsenal.
(Article continues below)
Pakistan has been a declared nuclear power since carrying out
its first tests in May 1998, in a series of tit-for-tat tests
with India.
General Ham on Wednesday stressed Pakistan's contribution to
the war in Afghanistan, even though Washington is currently reviewing
its aid program to Islamabad.
"Pakistan has been a great partner so far on the war on
terror cooperation along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
We certainly do not want to see that jeopardized," he said.
"Secondly, US and other forces in Afghanistan receive most
of their supplies through and over Pakistan. Well over half of
the supplies for forces in Afghanistan come through or over Pakistan,"
he added.
"From an operational standpoint, those are the two most
significant concerns. I am confident that those aspects will be
part of that review."
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