Score one for the good guys the other team:
Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, confirmed Tuesday for the first time that a Pakistani nuclear scientist had provided North Korea with centrifuge machines that could be used to make fuel for an atomic bomb, a Japanese news agency reported.
In an interview here with the agency, Kyodo News, General Musharraf said the former head of his country’s nuclear program, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, had sent “centrifuges – parts and complete” to North Korea. The Pakistani leader did not divulge the number of centrifuges that arrived in North Korea, saying, “I do not exactly remember the number.”
General Musharraf also said Dr. Khan might have sent North Korea uranium hexafluoride, which can be enriched in centrifuges and then processed into fuel for civilian nuclear reactors or atomic warheads.
The president’s statements are likely to bolster American contentions that North Korea has a covert uranium enrichment program and complicate the six-nation talks over North Korea’s nuclear program that are scheduled to resume next week.
General Musharraf reiterated his long-held position that he and other members of Pakistan’s powerful military had not known that Dr. Khan was shipping nuclear hardware abroad. But American experts on the spread of nuclear weapons said the disclosure raised new questions about the Pakistani military’s possible role in nuclear proliferation.
Dr. Khan publicly confessed in January 2004 to having provided nuclear weapons technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya, but he gave few details. General Musharraf pardoned him, citing his status as a national hero. Pakistani officials are investigating Dr. Khan, but General Musharraf has barred American or United Nations investigators from directly questioning him.
Blech.
Otto Man
Allow me to be the first to angrily scream, “Khhhaaaaaannnnnnnnnnn!!!!!”
Thank you.
tBone
We could probably do worse than to name William Shatner our Emergency Ambassador to Pakistan. His rug alone would probably scare them into compliance.
Tim F
Surely Khan must have sold something to Iraq. He was the nuclear go-to guy for the entire anti-American world. We need to send Judy Miller to Pakistan, STAT.
BinkyBoy
he’d just threaten to sing to them
capelza
Is this where I get to say “Well duh”…?
Frank
I have to say I’m glad the Republicans are in charge of American foriegn policy right now. The weak kneed Democrats would be afraid to take the stern measures needed against Pakistan.
What? The Bush administration considers Pakistan an ally and instead invaded Iraq? Shit!
Mark-NC
Frank:
On an expansion of your post, can you imagine what the wingers would be saying if Kerry were president and this came up?
I started on this line of thought in 2001 when the Chinese downed our military plane. The “right” was silent as Bush fumbled his way through. What would they have said if it was Al Gore in charge?
Or, in the invasion of Afghanistan. Bush took plenty of time for proper planning and getting troops and equipment in place – as he should (One of the few things he has gotten right)! If Al Gore had taken the same amount of time, the Limbaughs of the world would have fried him 24/7.
KB
what’s the problem ?
At least Saddam doesn’t have WMD’s!!!
From jan 2003
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?030127fa_fact
In the past decade, American intelligence tracked at least thirteen visits to North Korea made by A. Q. Khan, who was then the director of a Pakistani weapons-research laboratory, and who is known as the father of the Pakistani nuclear bomb.
Obviously that wasn’t as important as making up evidence that Iraq had WMD’s.
Nate
Except for the fact that it’s thought bin Laden got a way during Operation Anaconda with a lot of his cronies. Gore would have been toast then, too.
Hell, 9/11..!
Geoduck
If Gore had been President, and 9/11 had happened, Congress would have impeached him within a month. And he just might have deserved it.
croatoan
“You’re either with us or against us. Unless you’re Pakistan. Or Saudi Arabia.”
Chris
sorry, the cia was following Khan from 1975 on. They declined the opportunity to have him arrested years ago as well. So no acting suprised please.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4135998.stm
Bush prepared for Anaconda? Please. That’s why as a blocking position we hired villagers for 5 hours of loyalty. Glad that worked out then. That’s committment. These guys had their heads up their asses obsessed with Saddam from 9/12.
Boronx
Imagine if Gore’s NSA had gone around saying “Noone could have predicted…”
But God forbid anyone advances the national interest at the expense of a Republican.
TallDave
Paki’s another of those “allies” like Saudi Arabia that make us wonder why we even need enemies.
OTOH, we needed them for the Afghan war. And they’re somewhat more cooperative than they used to be.
Still, they have a long way to go.
TallDave
The best part of this story is that most of this happened under the 1995 Agreed Framework, under which we paid N Korea billions to not make nuclear weapons.
And they went home, cashed the check, and used the money to make nuclear weapons.
Score one for diplomacy!
Dave Schuler
“One may smile and smile and be a villain.”