Pakistan offers global nuclear fuel services

[Omar1984]

Pakistan offers global nuclear fuel services

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani waits for the start of the first plenary session at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington. — Reuters


WASHINGTON: Pakistan is offering its atomic fuel services to the world. Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani made the public offer in a statement of his country's commitments presented at US President Barack Obama's two-day summit on nuclear security. The written statement was distributed on Tuesday.

“As a country with advanced fuel capability, Pakistan is in a position to provide nuclear fuel cycle services under IAEA (UN International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards, and to participate in any non-discriminatory nuclear fuel cycle assurance mechanism,” Gilani's statement said.

The PM said that Pakistan “is strongly committed to nuclear security.”

He added that Pakistan “would continue to refine and modernize its technical and human resources and mechanisms on safety and security of nuclear weapons, nuclear materials, facilities and assets.”

“Pakistan has maintained the highest standards for non-proliferation,” he added. “When problems surfaced we addressed them definitively and kept the international community informed.”

“Today a robust command and control system is in place, which protects our strategic assets against theft, diversion, and accidental or unauthorized use,” he said.—Reuters


DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Pakistan offers global nuclear fuel services

 

[Imran Khan]

great he punch the world from his remark

 

[ajpirzada]

that is really gud. instead of staying on a back foot and allowing others to use us as a punching bag, we should be a bit more aggressive. this offer goes quite well with our military doctrine of offensive defence.
and our presence at this forum was in itself an acceptance of our nuclear status.

 

[ramu]

“As a country with advanced fuel capability, Pakistan is in a position to provide nuclear fuel cycle services under IAEA (UN International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards, and to participate in any non-discriminatory nuclear fuel cycle assurance mechanism,” Gilani's statement said.

The countries to which Pakistan can provide these services have had nuclear fuel cycles running in their backyard for decades. Not sure if this is a business proposition or a chest thumping exercise.

The PM said that Pakistan “is strongly committed to nuclear security.”
He added that Pakistan “would continue to refine and modernize its technical and human resources and mechanisms on safety and security of nuclear weapons, nuclear materials, facilities and assets.”

“Pakistan has maintained the highest standards for non-proliferation,” he added. “When problems surfaced we addressed them definitively and kept the international community informed.”

Prevention is better than cure !

“Today a robust command and control system is in place, which protects our strategic assets against theft, diversion, and accidental or unauthorized use,” he said.—Reuters

Well, good job. Better late than never.

 

[sparklingway]

A really good decision to announce this policy and not let any other country cry proliferation. Proud of you PM.

The countries to which Pakistan can provide these services have had nuclear fuel cycles running in their backyard for decades. Not sure if this is a business proposition or a chest thumping exercise.

Aren't there any other countries willing to enter the market, looking for reactor grade fuel? Many arab countries are sure looking forward to it. We can definitely become a supplier but we have to set up more NPPs for ourselves as well. I won't say it's chest thumping but we do realize that competing in the market would be difficult

 

[Abi]

Good step. Iran can buy the nuclear fuel from pakistan by selling n. gas.

Iran has had the ability to make their own fuel for years now.

Anyway, this is good news for Pakistan if they find costumers, however this market is dominated by countries that can build nuclear reactors because they use their own fuel on the reactors they've built.There is also the problem of the spent fuel which you can build nuclear weapons from, which i doubt America would be happy with.

 

[asq]

The countries to which Pakistan can provide these services have had nuclear fuel cycles running in their backyard for decades. Not sure if this is a business proposition or a chest thumping exercise.








Prevention is better than cure !



Well, good job. Better late than never. [/QUO

Spoken like an adversary, therefore carries no value.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Good step. Iran can buy the nuclear fuel from pakistan by selling n. gas.

But given the concern of many countries about Iran enriching its own fuel, perhaps Pakistan can serve as a supplier ...

The US and other nations are proposing an international 'Fuel Bank' for nations without enrichment and reprocessing capabilities, who wish to generate power from nuclear reactors. Pakistan could act as one such supplier for that 'Fuel Bank' and compete with the West and others in providing fuel to those nations.

 

[ajpirzada]

to be honest this offer has to do a lot more with self projection at such a high level forum than looking for customers. we can always use that fuel ourselves. never take such high level statements only at a face value.

 

[Zebronic]

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has said that it has acquired advanced nuclear fuel cycle capability and can offer it to the rest of the world under IAEA safeguards.
The offer, contained in a national statement presented at a two-day summit which concluded in Washington on Tuesday, reflected Islamabad’s desire to gain recognition as a nuclear state.

“As a country with advanced fuel cycle capability, Pakistan is in a position to provide nuclear fuel cycle services under IAEA safeguards, and to participate in any non-discriminatory nuclear fuel cycle assurance mechanism,” the document said.

At the summit, Pakistan also reiterated its proposals for establishing a strategic restraint regime in South Asia.

The policy paper released during the conference stressed that such a regime would “promote nuclear and missile restraint, a balance in conventional forces, and conflict resolution”.

Pakistan said that it had already concluded with India risk reduction and confidence-building measures which included a hot line, prior notification of ballistic missile tests, and an agreement on reducing the risk of accidents relating to nuclear weapons.

“More than ever, India and Pakistan need a substantive, structured and sustained dialogue on all issues, including nuclear CBMs,” the Pakistani statement said.

It also underlined Pakistan’s legitimate needs for power generation to meet the growing energy demand of its expanding economy.

“Civil nuclear power generation under IAEA safeguards is an essential part of our national energy security plan to support sustained economic growth and industrial development,” the statement pointed out.

In his address at the inaugural dinner on Monday night, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told the participants that Pakistan had more than 35 years’ experience of operating nuclear power plants, a highly trained manpower and a well-established safety and security culture.

“Pakistan qualifies for participation in civil nuclear cooperation at the international level. We urge all relevant forums to give Pakistan access to nuclear technology for peaceful uses, in a non-discriminatory manner,” he said.

China’s Support

Pakistan received support from a trusted ally in its quest for civil nuclear technology on Tuesday when China declared that every country had the right to the peaceful use of nuclear technology.

“We strongly support efforts to enhance international nuclear security and the equal right of all countries to the peaceful use of nuclear energy,” said the Chinese national statement presented at the conference.

The Chinese statement at the nuclear summit, however, aimed primarily at clarifying its position on the US-Iran dispute on this issue.

During the two-day summit, the United States and its allies demanded measures to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear technology because they feared that Tehran would use it for making weapons, which in turn would destabilise the entire Middle East.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama secured a promise from President Hu Jintao of China to join negotiations on a new package of sanctions against Iran, administration officials said, but Mr Hu made no specific commitment to backing measures that the United States considered severe enough to force a change in direction in Iran’s nuclear programme.

The Chinese national statement also reiterated Beijing’s commitment to the policies of “no first use of nuclear weapons, at any time and under any circumstances”.

It emphasised China’s “unequivocal commitment to “not to use or threat to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states or in nuclear-free zones”.

Obama’s Warning

President Obama warned that the risk of a nuclear attack had increased as terrorists sought nuclear materials.

Taking a cue from the American leader, India too emphasised this point in a national statement it submitted to the two-day nuclear summit in Washington.

“The world community should join hands to eliminate the risk of sensitive and valuable materials and technologies falling into hands of terrorists and illicit traffickers. There should be zero tolerance for individuals and groups which engage in illegal trafficking in nuclear items,” said the Indian statement.

Each nation participating in the 47-state conference has submitted a national statement, spelling out its policies and aspirations on the nuclear issue. The rules of the conference prevent participants from targeting any particular nation, forcing India not to name Pakistan but the Indian statement included hints that seek to implicate Islamabad.

Speaking on the final day of the summit, President Obama said even though the threat of nuclear war between nations had decreased, terrorist groups like Al Qaeda were working to acquire nuclear materials.

Mr Obama said the new nuclear threat facing the world after the end of the Cold War was “cruel irony of history”. He warned that world leaders must act now and not simply talk about securing nuclear materials.

Seeking to lend force to his warning, Mr Obama said that dozens of countries held nuclear materials that could be sold or stolen, and that a weapon fashioned from an apple-size piece of plutonium could kill or injure hundreds of thousands of people. “Terrorist networks such as Al Qaeda have tried to acquire the material for a nuclear weapon, and if they ever succeed, they would surely use it. Were they to do so, it would be a catastrophe for the world,” he said.

Mr Obama urged the international community to take joint action against nuclear terrorism and secure or destroy vulnerable stockpiles of nuclear materials that the terrorists could acquire.

DAWN.COM | Front Page | Pakistan makes surprise offer of N-fuel services

 

[ice_man]

Pakistani Nukes are safe the world should stop scaring itself this is not a tom clancy novel! no guy is just going to go press a button & lead the world into the era of Book Of Eli or Resident Evil!

India should worry maybe even the naxals want a piece of bomb! or hey in russia the chechens might want one! you can scare yourself with a million scenarios! but the truth of the matter is all nukes around the world are safe!

 

[DaRk WaVe]

Pakistan offers global nuclear fuel services​

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has offered its atomic fuel services to the world.

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani made the public offer in a statement of his country's commitments presented at US President Barack Obama's two-day summit on nuclear security. The written statement was distributed on Tuesday.

"As a country with advanced fuel capability, Pakistan is in a position to provide nuclear fuel cycle services under IAEA (UN International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards, and to participate in any non-discriminatory nuclear fuel cycle assurance mechanism," Gilani's statement said.

Gilani said that Pakistan "is strongly committed to nuclear security."

He added that Pakistan "would continue to refine and modernize its technical and human resources and mechanisms on safety and security of nuclear weapons, nuclear materials, facilities and assets."

"Pakistan has maintained the highest standards for non-proliferation," he added. "When problems surfaced we addressed them definitively and kept the international community informed."

Gilani told delegates there was nothing to worry about.

"Today a robust command and control system is in place, which protects our strategic assets against theft, diversion, and accidental or unauthorized use," he said.

Pakistan offers global nuclear fuel services

 

[IBRIS]

Thats going to be a really hard sell for Pakistan to gain trust of IAEA. Good luck BTW....

 

[DaRk WaVe]

Pakistan makes surprise offer of nuclear fuel services ​

PM Gilani said that Pakistan had more than 35 years’ experience of operating nuclear power plants, a highly trained manpower and a well-established safety and security culture. —Photo by Reuteres

Pakistan has said that it has acquired advanced nuclear fuel cycle capability and can offer it to the rest of the world under IAEA safeguards.

The offer, contained in a national statement presented at a two-day summit which concluded in Washington on Tuesday, reflected Islamabad’s desire to gain recognition as a nuclear state.

“As a country with advanced fuel cycle capability, Pakistan is in a position to provide nuclear fuel cycle services under IAEA safeguards, and to participate in any non-discriminatory nuclear fuel cycle assurance mechanism,” the document said.

At the summit, Pakistan also reiterated its proposals for establishing a strategic restraint regime in South Asia.

The policy paper released during the conference stressed that such a regime would “promote nuclear and missile restraint, a balance in conventional forces, and conflict resolution”.

Pakistan said that it had already concluded with India risk reduction and confidence-building measures which included a hot line, prior notification of ballistic missile tests, and an agreement on reducing the risk of accidents relating to nuclear weapons.

“More than ever, India and Pakistan need a substantive, structured and sustained dialogue on all issues, including nuclear CBMs,” the Pakistani statement said.

It also underlined Pakistan’s legitimate needs for power generation to meet the growing energy demand of its expanding economy.

“Civil nuclear power generation under IAEA safeguards is an essential part of our national energy security plan to support sustained economic growth and industrial development,” the statement pointed out.

In his address at the inaugural dinner on Monday night, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told the participants that Pakistan had more than 35 years’ experience of operating nuclear power plants, a highly trained manpower and a well-established safety and security culture.

“Pakistan qualifies for participation in civil nuclear cooperation at the international level. We urge all relevant forums to give Pakistan access to nuclear technology for peaceful uses, in a non-discriminatory manner,” he said.

China’s Support

Pakistan received support from a trusted ally in its quest for civil nuclear technology on Tuesday when China declared that every country had the right to the peaceful use of nuclear technology.

“We strongly support efforts to enhance international nuclear security and the equal right of all countries to the peaceful use of nuclear energy,” said the Chinese national statement presented at the conference.

The Chinese statement at the nuclear summit, however, aimed primarily at clarifying its position on the US-Iran dispute on this issue.

During the two-day summit, the United States and its allies demanded measures to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear technology because they feared that Tehran would use it for making weapons, which in turn would destabilise the entire Middle East.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama secured a promise from President Hu Jintao of China to join negotiations on a new package of sanctions against Iran, administration officials said, but Mr Hu made no specific commitment to backing measures that the United States considered severe enough to force a change in direction in Iran’s nuclear programme.

The Chinese national statement also reiterated Beijing’s commitment to the policies of “no first use of nuclear weapons, at any time and under any circumstances”.

It emphasised China’s “unequivocal commitment to “not to use or threat to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states or in nuclear-free zones”.

Obama’s Warning

President Obama warned that the risk of a nuclear attack had increased as terrorists sought nuclear materials.

Taking a cue from the American leader, India too emphasised this point in a national statement it submitted to the two-day nuclear summit in Washington.

“The world community should join hands to eliminate the risk of sensitive and valuable materials and technologies falling into hands of terrorists and illicit traffickers. There should be zero tolerance for individuals and groups which engage in illegal trafficking in nuclear items,” said the Indian statement.

Each nation participating in the 47-state conference has submitted a national statement, spelling out its policies and aspirations on the nuclear issue. The rules of the conference prevent participants from targeting any particular nation, forcing India not to name Pakistan but the Indian statement included hints that seek to implicate Islamabad.

Speaking on the final day of the summit, President Obama said even though the threat of nuclear war between nations had decreased, terrorist groups like Al Qaeda were working to acquire nuclear materials.

Mr Obama said the new nuclear threat facing the world after the end of the Cold War was “cruel irony of history”. He warned that world leaders must act now and not simply talk about securing nuclear materials.

Seeking to lend force to his warning, Mr Obama said that dozens of countries held nuclear materials that could be sold or stolen, and that a weapon fashioned from an apple-size piece of plutonium could kill or injure hundreds of thousands of people. “Terrorist networks such as Al Qaeda have tried to acquire the material for a nuclear weapon, and if they ever succeed, they would surely use it. Were they to do so, it would be a catastrophe for the world,” he said.

Mr Obama urged the international community to take joint action against nuclear terrorism and secure or destroy vulnerable stockpiles of nuclear materials that the terrorists could acquire.

DAWN.COM | Front Page | Pakistan makes surprise offer of N-fuel services

 

[DaRk WaVe]

Pakistan offers global nuclear fuel services again​

By LOUIS CHARBONNEAU | REUTERS

Published: Apr 14, 2010 03:55 Updated: Apr 14, 2010 03:57

WASHINGTON: Pakistan, the country of the disgraced nuclear scientist who provided Iran, Libya and North Korea with uranium enrichment technology, is once again offering its atomic fuel services to the world.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani made the public offer in a statement of his country's commitments presented at US President Barack Obama's two-day summit on nuclear security. The written statement was distributed on Tuesday.

"As a country with advanced fuel capability, Pakistan is in a position to provide nuclear fuel cycle services under IAEA (UN International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards, and to participate in any non-discriminatory nuclear fuel cycle assurance mechanism," Gilani's statement said.

In 2004, Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan admitted to selling Iran, North Korea and Libya nuclear enrichment technology that can be used to produce fuel for civilian reactors or atomic weapons. Khan's movements have been curtailed since his public confession.

IAEA officials and analysts say that Khan's illicit network, which specialized in helping countries skirt international sanctions, created the greatest nuclear proliferation crisis of the atomic age.

Gilani did not refer by name to Khan, the father of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program and considered a national hero by many Pakistanis. But he said that Pakistan "is strongly committed to nuclear security." He added that Pakistan "would continue to refine and modernize its technical and human resources and mechanisms on safety and security of nuclear weapons, nuclear materials, facilities and assets." "Pakistan has maintained the highest standards for non-proliferation," he added. "When problems surfaced we addressed them definitively and kept the international community informed." INDIA WORRIED Pakistan has denied that the government knew anything about Khan's activities. But Western diplomats and intelligence officials say that they believe some members of Pakistan's government and military were aware of Khan's network.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan, like India, never signed the 1970 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It has some 80 atomic bombs and fissile material for up to 150 more, experts say.

A new report commissioned from Harvard University professor Matthew Bunn by the US-based Nuclear Threat Initiative said that the highest risks of nuclear theft today were in Pakistan and Russia.

Pakistan's heavily guarded nuclear stockpile "faces immense threats, both from insiders who may be corrupt or sympathetic to terrorists and from large attacks by outsiders," it said, adding that both Al-Qaeda and the Taleban posed a threat to the country's nuclear facilities and arsenal.

Gilani told delegates there was nothing to worry about.

Obama told reporters at the end of the two-day summit that he trusted the Pakistanis had control of the situation.

"I feel confident about Pakistan's security around its nuclear weapons programs but that doesn't mean that there isn't improvement to make in all of our nuclear security programs," Obama told reporters at the end of the 47-nation summit.

UN nuclear chief Yukiya Amano told reporters that there had been some improvements in nuclear security in Pakistan.

But Pakistan's nuclear-armed neighbor and regional rival India made clear that it still had concerns about the potential proliferation threat Pakistan might pose.

"Clandestine proliferation networks have flourished and led to insecurity for all, including and especially for India," Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in his speech.

"There should be zero tolerance for individuals and groups which engage in illegal trafficking in nuclear items," Singh said. He did not mention Pakistan or Khan by name.

Pakistan offers global nuclear fuel services again - Arab News