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U.S. Department of State

Daily Press Briefing

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QUESTION: This probably is a dry hole because of the usual response to a question like this; but let me try anyhow. Is there any point in asking you any questions about the Pakistani defector, or will you say it's an intelligence matter?

MR. RUBIN: Maybe it's not such a dry hole after all.

QUESTION: Has the U.S. been told that Pakistan was in the midst of preparing a nuclear strike against India?

MR. RUBIN: We have seen reports of a Pakistani who claims to have worked in his country's nuclear weapons program, and that he has asked for asylum. We have no information beyond what has been reported in the media that can confirm or deny this gentleman's story. We have no comment on his claims about Pakistan's nuclear weapons program.

However, we do believe in general that the nuclear tests that took place have led South Asia in a dangerous direction. We face a new and more dangerous security environment as a result of those tests. Both Pakistan and India are less secure, and we want the two countries to work together to resolve their disputes. We don't comment on specific asylum requests. I'd have to refer you to the INS.

QUESTION: That would be another question; and you're not commenting on that. In a general sense, can you say if he's provided any useful information to the United States about that dangerous nuclear race in South Asia?

MR. RUBIN: Let me repeat what I said, and maybe that can answer it. We have no information beyond what is reported in the media that can confirm or deny his story.

QUESTION: His lawyer is saying he's spoken - it's gone beyond reports in the media. I mean, there's no doubt that he has had contact and said various things. But that's it - if you can't generalize what he's told the U.S. --

MR. RUBIN: We don't have enough at this point to advance the story.

QUESTION: Is anyone at State talking to him?

MR. RUBIN: As far as who might or might not talk to him with respect to asylum, that would be a question for the INS. With respect to this gentleman's story and what we think it might mean, we don't have information to confirm or deny the story at this point.

QUESTION: But my question was, whether anyone in the government would talk to him beyond the asylum request --

MR. RUBIN: I'm sure that when people of this nature come forward with information that would matter to our national security interests, that we would want to try to ascertain the veracity and utility of that information.

QUESTION: Technically speaking, Jamie, is it possible for someone to defect from Pakistan? Is that word applicable in this case?

MR. RUBIN: Well, seeking asylum --

QUESTION: They called it a defector. I didn't know there was any such thing any more, since the fall of the Soviet Union.

MR. RUBIN: Right. Well, it's a word that helps to improve the headline creation quotient.

QUESTION: So this is someone --

QUESTION: You can defect from North Korea, for instance.

QUESTION: From North Korea, or from Syria, I suppose. But as far as his status, as far as the US Government is concerned, he's seeking asylum in the United States?

MR. RUBIN: What I'm prepared to say on that is that to the extent that we can talk about individual asylum requests, that would be something the INS would have to cover.

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(The briefing concluded at 1:30 P.M.)

[end of document]