Posted on 02/08/2004 5:03:54 PM PST by blam
How US put rogue atom scientist out of business
By David Blair in Islamabad
(Filed: 09/02/2004)
America closed down the Pakistani-based "nuclear supermarket" by confronting President Pervaiz Musharraf with "mind boggling" evidence and threatening isolation and economic sanctions, it emerged yesterday.
A high-powered American delegation met Gen Musharraf last October and demanded that he deal with Abdul Qadeer Khan, the "father" of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, who has confessed to trading atomic secrets.
Gen Musharraf: 'stunned' by the detailed evidence
The pressure on Gen Musharraf was comparable to the aftermath of September 11, when America demanded - and received - Pakistan's support against al-Qa'eda and the Taliban regime.
News of the secret confrontation helps to explain Washington's muted public response since Khan confessed last week to selling nuclear technology to the world's most radical anti-Western states. It was the biggest network for the spread of weapons of mass destruction ever uncovered, providing key technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea.
Richard Armitage, the US deputy secretary of state, met Gen Musharraf at his official residence in Rawalpindi on Oct 6 last year. Mr Armitage came armed with evidence compiled by the CIA and MI6.
Gen Musharraf was "stunned" by the detail. Khan's meetings with dealers in controlled weapons technology had all been tracked. Bank accounts holding payments made for nuclear secrets were recorded.
The Americans had tracked every journey Khan had made outside Pakistan. A senior Pakistani official said the evidence against the scientist was "mind boggling".
The Americans increased the pressure. A few hours after Mr Armitage departed, Gen John Abizaid, the head of US Central Command, repeated the unequivocal message that action must be taken against Khan.
"We were told that failure to take action will most certainly jeopardise [Pakistan's] ties with the US and other important nations of the world," said the official. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) later confirmed the allegations by passing on evidence from inspections of nuclear facilities in Libya and Iran.
"Both the US government and the IAEA separately reminded Pakistan that its failure to pin the responsibility of proliferation activities might lead to sanctions by the US and the United Nations," another Pakistani official told The News.
Nonetheless, Gen Musharraf did not capitulate immediately. He ordered Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency to conduct an inquiry. When this verified many of the major American claims, he placed Khan under house arrest last November.
American concern over Khan is not new. As long ago as 2001, Gen Musharraf bowed to US demands for him to be removed as head of the Khan Research Laboratories, nerve centre of the nuclear weapons programme.
In 1998, Pakistan took delivery of long-range Nodong missiles from North Korea. These weapons, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead for 900 miles, brought almost every Indian city within range of a nuclear strike from Pakistan. Khan has since confirmed the quid pro quo for this deal: centrifuge technology for producing weapons-grade uranium.
America tracked this movement of materials and Colin Powell, the secretary of state, made his suspicions clear during a meeting with Gen Musharraf in July 2002.
Yet only the application of maximum pressure brought the downfall of Khan and the end of his nuclear smuggling ring last week.
The mediots will not be able to bury the coming good news in the next few months, IMHO.
Once again, it's Bush's fault.
Wrong. It removes him from access to facilities and materials. You think ANYONE carries complete nuclear weapon designs around in his head?
Wrong. It removes him from access to facilities and materials. You think ANYONE carries complete nuclear weapon designs around in his head?
"Spiegel" is saying this morning that Kahn has the goods on implicating the Pakistani Army in this. Musharraf asked the pakatani press to lay off the research into the connection to Army.
Also worthy of note is the strong suspicion that Saudi Arabia was shopping around with Kahn's colleagues, and the report that the US flew evidence back from Libya under armed escort on a chartered jumbo.
"FR" Link .... 3 Germans involved in nuclear trading
longjack
Try this:
"Spiegel'....Three Germans Involved in Pakistani Atomic Scandal: "Spiegel"
longjack
Prince Charles is a prime example of the need to fight against inbreeding in the royalty. I don't think anyone would trust him to deliver a pizza.
Something's fishy and I suspect the US knows more than we're telling.
I'll say, click and read the below linked thread.
I said you would probably suport the concept of money being given back by those that did wrong.
Anyway we have probably both misquoted each other at times here in our disagreement.
And as someone pointed out the money isn't the big issue.
You may have a point about needing to look at this realistically instead of emotionally.
I am looking at it emotionally though, so we agree to disagree.
Iraq was a sovereign nation and we made sure they didn't produce WMDs.
If Pakistan is selling out to terrorists why don't the same rules of the war on terrorism apply?
We are supposed to be wiping out those who support the terrorists whether it is in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia or Iran, not just picking the battles that are politically convenient.
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