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Bush Cool to Giving Pakistan Nuclear Deal

Posted on: Saturday, 4 March 2006, 04:40 CST

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush gave no sign on Saturday that he would support granting Pakistan the same kind of nuclear agreement just reached with India.

The subject came up in private talks between Bush and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

The pact, announced on Thursday, marks a major breakthrough for New Delhi, long treated as a nuclear pariah by the world, as it allows it to access American atomic technology and fuel to meet its soaring energy needs. The deal still needs approval by the U.S. Congress.

Asked at a joint news conference if Pakistan, India's nuclear rival, would get a similar deal, Bush was ambiguous. Other U.S. officials have said it would not happen.

Bush said he and Musharraf discussed it and "I explained that Pakistan and India are different countries with different needs and different histories" and these differences would be taken into account as the strategy moved forward.

Bush said he recognized Pakistan had growing energy needs. Asked if the United States would oppose a natural gas pipeline to Iran, Bush did not say no.

"Our beef with Iran is not the pipeline. Our beef with Iran is the fact that they want to develop a nuclear weapon," Bush said.

Bush said Musharraf brought this issue up with him.

"He explained to me the natural gas situation here in the country. We understand you need to get natural gas in the region, and that's fine," Bush said.

Under the nuclear deal, India agreed to separate its military and civilian nuclear plants and open the latter to international inspections to prevent proliferation.

U.S. officials have said the United States will not be concluding a similar deal with Pakistan, which is still under a cloud because of the role of its top atom scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan, in a nuclear proliferation scandal.

Source: REUTERS

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