Seraphim
03-19-2004, 03:41 AM
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040318/capt.isl10803180828.pakistan_us_isl108.jpg
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites), right, shakes hand with Khursheed Kasuri, foreign minister of Pakistan at the foreign ministry in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, March 18, 2004. (AP Photo/B.K.Bangash)
By GEORGE GEDDA, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) flew into Baghdad on Friday, making an unannounced visit to the war-ravaged country as the United States marks the first anniversary of the invasion of Iraq (news - web sites).
Powell's stop came as part of his latest trip to parts of Asia and the Middle East. He planned talks with U.S. and Iraqi officials, but details of his activities were not immediately disclosed.
On Thursday, Powell brushed aside criticism of Pakistan's handling of a black market nuclear proliferation network and the U.S. response to it.
Powell said that A.Q. Khan, the Pakistani scientist who smuggled nuclear secrets to North Korea (news - web sites), Iran and Libya, "is essentially secluded in his home and he is not going to be running this network any more."
He called the dismantling of Khan's network "a major achievement."
Powell spoke to reporters while heading to the Middle East after a visit to Pakistan that included a meeting with President Pervez Musharraf and other officials. Earlier, Powell had visited India and Afghanistan (news - web sites).
Some analysts see Kahn as history's greatest nuclear proliferator and believe that it was wrong for Musharraf to pardon him and for the United States to accept that action without complaint.
Kahn's illicit dealings with North Korea and Iran have caused major security headaches for the United States. Less critical is the assistance he provided to Libya, which recently abandoned its quest for nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.
Powell showed impatience when he was asked by a reporter while en route to Kuwait whether both Pakistan and the United States were using "kid gloves" to deal with the Kahn revelations.
Suggesting that critics fail to appreciate the achievement in bringing down the network, Powell said "solid intelligence" by U.S. and other agencies helped expose the wrongdoing. He mentioned the undercover work that pinpointed a Malaysian firm as an integral part of the operation.
Musharraf has said his decision to pardon rather then punish Kahn was based on the national hero status Kahn enjoys because of his role in helping Pakistan become a nuclear power.
Numerous reports in recent weeks have said Kahn had been working in league with Pakistan's I.S.I. intelligence service to carry out nuclear technology transfers — activities reportedly known to American and other intelligence agencies.
But Powell said Musharraf and top aides are "all taken aback" by Kahn's crimes. "No responsible government of Pakistan should have tolerated such a thing and I hope they did not. I hope that it was something he was doing on his own."
Powell said U.S. officials have not had access to Kahn. The United States considers the case to be an internal Pakistani matter, he said.
At a morning news conference with Powell, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri said he assured the visiting American that it was in Pakistan's "own interest as a nuclear power that no proliferation take place. We are going to spare no effort to try and make efforts to pull this out root and branch wherever this network is."
Earlier, Powell said the United States was elevating U.S. military ties with Pakistan, granting the country benefits enjoyed by only a handful of allies outside the NATO (news - web sites) alliance.
The new status will make Pakistan eligible for priority delivery of defense material and for the stockpiling of military hardware.
Powell said the U.S. gesture demonstrates the strength of U.S. ties to Pakistan but conceded that he did not know whether the country would be able to take advantage of it.
Other major non-NATO allies of the United States are Japan, Australia, Israel, Egypt, Kuwait, South Korea (news - web sites), Argentina, New Zealand and the Philippines.
In Kuwait, Powell planned discussions with officials on Iraq, the Middle East peace process and reform in the Arab world, a senior Powell aide said.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites), right, shakes hand with Khursheed Kasuri, foreign minister of Pakistan at the foreign ministry in Islamabad, Pakistan on Thursday, March 18, 2004. (AP Photo/B.K.Bangash)
By GEORGE GEDDA, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) flew into Baghdad on Friday, making an unannounced visit to the war-ravaged country as the United States marks the first anniversary of the invasion of Iraq (news - web sites).
Powell's stop came as part of his latest trip to parts of Asia and the Middle East. He planned talks with U.S. and Iraqi officials, but details of his activities were not immediately disclosed.
On Thursday, Powell brushed aside criticism of Pakistan's handling of a black market nuclear proliferation network and the U.S. response to it.
Powell said that A.Q. Khan, the Pakistani scientist who smuggled nuclear secrets to North Korea (news - web sites), Iran and Libya, "is essentially secluded in his home and he is not going to be running this network any more."
He called the dismantling of Khan's network "a major achievement."
Powell spoke to reporters while heading to the Middle East after a visit to Pakistan that included a meeting with President Pervez Musharraf and other officials. Earlier, Powell had visited India and Afghanistan (news - web sites).
Some analysts see Kahn as history's greatest nuclear proliferator and believe that it was wrong for Musharraf to pardon him and for the United States to accept that action without complaint.
Kahn's illicit dealings with North Korea and Iran have caused major security headaches for the United States. Less critical is the assistance he provided to Libya, which recently abandoned its quest for nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.
Powell showed impatience when he was asked by a reporter while en route to Kuwait whether both Pakistan and the United States were using "kid gloves" to deal with the Kahn revelations.
Suggesting that critics fail to appreciate the achievement in bringing down the network, Powell said "solid intelligence" by U.S. and other agencies helped expose the wrongdoing. He mentioned the undercover work that pinpointed a Malaysian firm as an integral part of the operation.
Musharraf has said his decision to pardon rather then punish Kahn was based on the national hero status Kahn enjoys because of his role in helping Pakistan become a nuclear power.
Numerous reports in recent weeks have said Kahn had been working in league with Pakistan's I.S.I. intelligence service to carry out nuclear technology transfers — activities reportedly known to American and other intelligence agencies.
But Powell said Musharraf and top aides are "all taken aback" by Kahn's crimes. "No responsible government of Pakistan should have tolerated such a thing and I hope they did not. I hope that it was something he was doing on his own."
Powell said U.S. officials have not had access to Kahn. The United States considers the case to be an internal Pakistani matter, he said.
At a morning news conference with Powell, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khursheed Kasuri said he assured the visiting American that it was in Pakistan's "own interest as a nuclear power that no proliferation take place. We are going to spare no effort to try and make efforts to pull this out root and branch wherever this network is."
Earlier, Powell said the United States was elevating U.S. military ties with Pakistan, granting the country benefits enjoyed by only a handful of allies outside the NATO (news - web sites) alliance.
The new status will make Pakistan eligible for priority delivery of defense material and for the stockpiling of military hardware.
Powell said the U.S. gesture demonstrates the strength of U.S. ties to Pakistan but conceded that he did not know whether the country would be able to take advantage of it.
Other major non-NATO allies of the United States are Japan, Australia, Israel, Egypt, Kuwait, South Korea (news - web sites), Argentina, New Zealand and the Philippines.
In Kuwait, Powell planned discussions with officials on Iraq, the Middle East peace process and reform in the Arab world, a senior Powell aide said.