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Bin Laden met nuke scientists -- 'Nuclear bazaar' story out of Pakistan gets more bizarre
Worldnetdaily ^ | 2.8.2004 | Joseph Farah

Posted on 02/08/2004 9:48:09 AM PST by DoctorZIn

WASHINGTON – As the Pakistani nuclear proliferation story widens, U.S. intelligence officials say top atomic scientists from that country met with Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar in Afghanistan.

Two former senior Pakistani nuclear scientists who were based in the Afghan town of Kandahar met Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden several times before the fall of the Taliban. They were later detained and questioned on their return to Pakistan.

Last week, after it became clear that Pakistan was the center of what has become known internationally as the "nuclear bazaar," President Pervez Musharraf agreed to pardon nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan for selling the country's nuclear secrets to Libya, North Korea and Iran.

Because Pakistan is perceived to be central to the U.S. war on terror, the reaction in Washington has been low-key.

"This is a matter between Dr. Khan, who is a Pakistani citizen, and his government," said Secretary of State Colin Powell to reporters outside the United Nations. "But it is a matter also that I'll be talking to President Musharraf about."

Bush administration officials have expressed satisfaction with Musharraf's guarantees that the country's nuclear proliferation will now come to an end.

A top defector from North Korea says that country's uranium-based nuclear weapons program was launched in 1996 under a deal with Pakistan. In addition, Pakistan stationed other nuclear scientists in Iran to help that country develop its nuclear weapons program.

Pakistan says the presidential pardon to the top nuclear scientist over his admission to have proliferated nuclear technology to three foreign countries is subject to set of a "comprehensive conditions" – but those conditions have not been revealed publicly.

The pardon even allows Khan to keep the vast wealth he accumulated by developing Pakistan's nuclear weapons and from selling the technology to other countries – including several rogue nations. Khan is believed to have earned millions of dollars from his sale of nuclear know-how, beginning in the late 1980s. Much of the money was funneled through bank accounts in the Middle East. His assets include four houses in Islamabad worth an estimated $2.8 million, a villa on the Caspian Sea, a luxury hotel in Mali and a valuable collection of vintage cars.

Khan, 69, last week made a televised confession of his wrongdoing after government investigators confronted him. Despite being granted a pardon, he is under house arrest and forbidden to give interviews.

In addition to selling nuclear technology to Iran and North Korea, Khan also offered Saddam Hussein a design for a nuclear weapon in 1990, according to a document seized by U.N. weapons inspectors. Later he made a deal with Libya.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: abdulqadeerkhan; alqaeda; alqaedanukes; alqaida; atomicscientist; axisofevil; binladen; iraq; islamicbomb; islamofascists; jihad; kahn; khan; krl; libya; loosenukes; mullahomar; nkorea; northkorea; nuclear; nuclearprogram; nuclearproliferation; nuclearscientist; nuclearweapons; nuke; nukes; nukescientist; omar; osama; osamabinladen; pakistan; proliferation; proterrorism; qadeerkahn; qadeerkhan; saddam; saddamhussein; scientist; scientists; taliban; talibastard; waronterror; weaponssmuggling; weaponstechnology; wmd; wot
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To: Cronos
I dunno how Bush can handle it, but I'm hoping that in his second term he takes care of the Pak problem like he's done with the Irq and Libyan problems.

Pakistan will not willingly give up its' nukes. Not with the situation they have with India.

81 posted on 02/09/2004 9:24:16 PM PST by He Rides A White Horse (I wonder if Free Republic will be deemed a terrorist organization under Hillary?)
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To: He Rides A White Horse
Pakistan will not willingly give up its' nukes. Not with the situation they have with India.

The situation Pakistan has with India is entirely self made. The persecute Hindus and Christians, constantly violate the Line of Control, and support terrorists in Indian Kashmir. The Indian nuke was developed in response to the Chinese sponsored nuclear run up in Pakistan.

Maybe if they spent a little more time bringing their country into the civilized world, they would have a lot less to worry about from their neighbors. Seriously, what does Pakistan have that India would want? More muslims?

82 posted on 02/10/2004 8:05:02 AM PST by SpinyNorman
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To: SpinyNorman
The situation Pakistan has with India is entirely self made. The persecute Hindus and Christians, constantly violate the Line of Control, and support terrorists in Indian Kashmir. The Indian nuke was developed in response to the Chinese sponsored nuclear run up in Pakistan.

I was merely commenting on the hostility between the two countries. I don't see the Paks giving up theie weapons, regardless of the pressure exerted on them.

Personally, I would watch Pakistan carefully. If radical Islamists suceeded in taking over that country, it would call for drastic action. Such a situation would be intolerable.

I agree, it seems that with Muslim countries, having problems with neighbors is always self made.

83 posted on 02/10/2004 8:50:37 AM PST by He Rides A White Horse (I wonder if Free Republic will be deemed a terrorist organization under Hillary?)
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To: CalifornianConservative
But it all comes round robin to Clinton, doesn't it? Thanks Bill, for giving away our nuclear secrets to our mortal Red enemy, who is now giving it to our mortal terrorist enemies.

He didn't give them away. He sold them.

84 posted on 02/10/2004 1:46:55 PM PST by Don Joe (I own my vote. It's for rent to the highest bidder, paid in adherence to the Constitution.)
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To: Excuse_My_Bellicosity
I'm betting Sept. 11th was supposed to be the opening tap on the shoulder. Lousy China, we should level those bastards.

I believe you're more spot-on than you may realize. I remember mainstream news reports shortly after the attack, that revealed that on 9/10, an Arab kid, in an argument with his teacher, said something along the lines of, "World War Three starts tomorrow, and the United States loses."

Apparently the "word on the Arab Street" in this country was consistent with your "opening tap on the shoulder" theory.

85 posted on 02/10/2004 1:52:19 PM PST by Don Joe (I own my vote. It's for rent to the highest bidder, paid in adherence to the Constitution.)
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To: Grampa Dave
We are improving the security for Pack bombs and other necessities to ensure that others don't get control of them.

My understanding of the situation was that Musharrif had managed to break the bombs into two components (each), with the components stored in two distant locations, heavily guarded. Hopefully that's accurate, but if he gets coup'd, all bets are off.

86 posted on 02/10/2004 1:57:21 PM PST by Don Joe (I own my vote. It's for rent to the highest bidder, paid in adherence to the Constitution.)
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To: the invisib1e hand
Well, we KNOW they haven't got a bomb now, or they would have used it already.

I'm not sure that's true. I have a hunch that they do have a bomb...

I share that worry.

These bastards have demontrated that they can be patient. Look how long they waited between the first WTC attack and the second.

If they've also "purchased" some "surplus" Russian brainpower (not an unreasonable assumption, given the severe economic hell Russia experienced after the fall of communism), they may be getting some strategic advice as well as technical.

87 posted on 02/10/2004 2:00:39 PM PST by Don Joe (I own my vote. It's for rent to the highest bidder, paid in adherence to the Constitution.)
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To: okie01
The Bush administration has been very calm about them -- the point of seeming unconcerned. That can only mean one thing: we know where they are, and we know nobody else can get to them.

I don't agree with the conclusion (that it can only mean one thing). I've observed what seems to me to be a very strong unspoken rule since 9/11. In a nutshell, it boils down to, no matter how dire the circumstance, the overriding goal is to prevent panic at any cost.

I've seen an awful lot to support that theory. And with that in mind, the fact that they're acting to the "point of seeming unconcerned" means nothing -- because that's how they'd act regardless of what was actually going on.

Frankly, about the only thing I'd give any credence to at this point (besides a credible whistle-blower) would be a voice stress analyzer. Which brings me to my next point. A few days ago, Bush was giving an on-camera delivery about something pertaining to this "stuff" (I forget the exact details and I didn't manage to tape it, dang!), but the one thing that stands out in my memory -- and gave me the shivers -- was the tenor of his delivery.

His voice was quivering, shaky, to the point that a voice stress analyzer would have pegged its needle. I'm not talking about his typical bumblefooted delivery. I'm talking about that trademark in-the-throat shakyness that is a giveaway for real fear.

And when it's so bad that he's</> scared -- so scared that he can't put a lid on it with his famous poker face -- then I'm scared, too.

88 posted on 02/10/2004 2:10:11 PM PST by Don Joe (I own my vote. It's for rent to the highest bidder, paid in adherence to the Constitution.)
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To: swarthyguy
It picked up the Iraqi WMD "material" and brought it to Pakistan for safe custody on behalf of Iraq. It is not clear what did they mean by material---only documents or something more?

Is the word "material" ever use to refer to "documents" in that context? It doesn't seem to me to be a very good fit, but then again I have no knowledge of their nomenclature.

89 posted on 02/10/2004 2:17:10 PM PST by Don Joe (I own my vote. It's for rent to the highest bidder, paid in adherence to the Constitution.)
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To: Athwart
We're keeping this low-key so as to give Musharref a plausible lie about it being an entirely internal matter, but this was a U.S. operation all the way.

I believe there's a very good chance that the reason we're keeping it low-key is because what's been publicly revealed so far is merely the tip of the iceberg. I suspect the nuclear cat is out of the bag, and it's far, far worse than any of us could possibly imagine.

90 posted on 02/10/2004 2:19:27 PM PST by Don Joe (I own my vote. It's for rent to the highest bidder, paid in adherence to the Constitution.)
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To: Smogger
Well, we KNOW they haven't got a bomb now, or they would have used it already

Highly illogical, and pollyanish.

We HOPE they don't have the bomb.

What he said.

All we really have to hang our hope on is the "hope" that they don't have it. That's called "hoping on hope", and it ain't much, as far as "hope" goes.

91 posted on 02/10/2004 2:22:16 PM PST by Don Joe (I own my vote. It's for rent to the highest bidder, paid in adherence to the Constitution.)
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To: Don Joe
Thanks for this feedback:

"My understanding of the situation was that Musharrif had managed to break the bombs into two components (each), with the components stored in two distant locations, heavily guarded."

"Hopefully that's accurate, but if he gets coup'd, all bets are off."

Lets pray that he stays alive and continues to come over to the right side.
92 posted on 02/10/2004 2:24:21 PM PST by Grampa Dave (John F' Kerry! You are not John F. Kennedy! You're just another $oreA$$ puppet.)
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To: Don Joe
I think they're hedging and don't want to go out on a limb. The whole thing is being orchestrated from DC and the Indians, IMO, have no desire to irritate Uncle Sam. "Materiel" would include non-documents.

If this tidbit makes the mainstream US press......

Of course, that leads to the question, where in Pakistan?

Are they part of their arsenal, or we don't know where they are. And could they have gone somewhere else from Pakistan......


93 posted on 02/10/2004 2:25:32 PM PST by swarthyguy (Russia doesn't conduct negotiations with terrorists -- it destroys them," Vlad Putin)
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To: PISANO
Well let's connect the dots! No, let's don't we 'might' be wrong, but if we don't we might miss a nuke nightmare, but if we are wrong we will upset the press corps and the Socialists of America.

If you want to "connect the dots", here's a thought:

Keep track of when the big-name press-droids (and politicians) decide to "vacation" at their faaaaar out of the way "retreats", i.e, their ranches out in BFE New Mexico, Montana, etc.

If a bunch of them decide to "take a breather" all at once, well... it's pucker-time, IMO.

94 posted on 02/10/2004 2:26:35 PM PST by Don Joe (I own my vote. It's for rent to the highest bidder, paid in adherence to the Constitution.)
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To: DoctorZIn
This is obviously wrong and misleading since our intelligence gathering capabilities aren't adequate for the task. /sarcasm
95 posted on 02/10/2004 2:34:56 PM PST by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: Grampa Dave
Lets pray that he stays alive and continues to come over to the right side.

I think that we can trust him for whatever the length is of the leash we've got him on. So the question is, how long is the leash? And the other question is, can any other party cut that leash?

I don't know the answers.

96 posted on 02/10/2004 2:37:47 PM PST by Don Joe (I own my vote. It's for rent to the highest bidder, paid in adherence to the Constitution.)
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To: Don Joe
Keep the leash short and do what Reagan said to do in situations like this. "Trust and Verify"!. He smiled when he said Trust and had his father face on when he said Verify.
97 posted on 02/10/2004 2:43:12 PM PST by Grampa Dave (John F' Kerry! You are not John F. Kennedy! You're just another $oreA$$ puppet.)
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To: nuconvert
Sheeesh. Why does he say these things? We know why the U.S. is letting Musharraf handle this. But he seems to enjoy making thse ridiculous statements anyway

He is trying to keep the lid on until we get Bin Laden and track down the nuclear components sold to others.

Prediction:
Pakistan will fall to the Islamic thugs very soon. This will result in nuclear war between Pakistan and India.
98 posted on 02/10/2004 3:40:12 PM PST by radioman
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To: Grampa Dave
I think he said it in Russian, too, so that every Ivan Denisovich on the Square would get his message.
99 posted on 02/10/2004 4:40:29 PM PST by Don Joe (I own my vote. It's for rent to the highest bidder, paid in adherence to the Constitution.)
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To: Destro
.....valuable collection of vintage cars.

Come on, Destro, how bad could this guy be? I have personally traded many a vintage car that was a real bomb.

100 posted on 02/10/2004 4:52:06 PM PST by Kenny Bunk
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