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US envoy wants 'whole story' of A Q Khan issue

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Oct 3, IRNA
Pakistan-US-Envoy

The US Ambassador to Pakistan Ryan C Crocker said on Tuesday that his country and the international community want to get more about the proliferation activities of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.

"That is important for Pakistan to know, that is important for us to know and it is important for international community to know," Crocker told editors and senior journalists at a briefing at the US Embassy.

"I do not think that any of us have the whole story. Not the international community and not Pakistan," he said.

"It is, these are the steps for Pakistan to take. Pakistan government has made clear that it wants to get to the bottom of this affair as much from more than anyone else," the US envoy said.

He said the issue of AQ Khan had a number of aspects.

"The important part we do consider closed and that is the issue of any ongoing unauthorized proliferation."

The Pakistan government, he said, when became aware of these activities it perused steps and put in place mechanisms and safeguards to ensure that such activities could never happen again.

"We have full confidence, that there has been a complete stop to that sort of proliferation."

Replying to a volley of questions about the last month peace deal in the North Waziristan tribal region, the ambassador said the United States fully support the agreement, saying President Musharraf during his US visit explained the agreement in details.

He said Washington fully supports the conditions in the agreement that al-Qaeda will be expelled, there will be no crossing of border by militants and the Taliban.

He said President Musharraf has explained that it is not with the Taliban but to fight against the Taliban.

Crocker said that economic and political as well as social elements are important for long term solution in the situation in the region.

He said that military alone could not win as there is a need to reach to the people across the Pak-Afghan border and to take political and economic measures for their development.

He lauded Pakistan's role in the war against terror and said President Musharraf has been taking necessary measures to curb the activities of the Taliban and extremist elements.

Replying to a question, the American ambassador said the Taliban, although still a threat and pose a challenge and working in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, are not taking over any area.

He said, "Taliban are not succeeding in either place within Afghanistan or Pakistan."
2020/235/2322/1412