US rules out nuclear deal with Pak

Washington, Apr 8: Shattering Pakistan's hope of signing a nuclear deal with United States, the Obama administration said that such deal does not figure in US list of talks with Islamabad.

"We are focused on Pakistan's energy needs, but, as we said last week, right now that does not include civilian nuclear energy," Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley told reporters.

The statement by US came just hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in a special meeting of Parliamentary Committee on National Security in Islamabad, said that Pakistan 'fully qualifies' for such deal as it is equipped with effective security and non-proliferation measures.

"A well established, foolproof safety and security culture fully qualifies Pakistan for equal participation in civil nuclear cooperation at the international level, which would help us in addressing our immediate energy problems and would bring greater stability as well," Gilani said.

Crowley, while stressing that US has no doubt about the safety and security of nuclear weapons in Pakistan, declined talking further into the matter.

"I think various US leaders have expressed confidence in the security of the Pakistani weapons. I'm not going to go any further than that," he said.

OneIndia News