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Nuclear
Secret Papers Show Link To Pak
Gary
Fitleberg
U.N.
inspectors sifting through Iran's nuclear files have discovered
drawings of high-tech equipment that can be used to make
weapons-grade uranium — a new link to the black market headed by
the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb.
Beyond adding another piece to the puzzle of who provided what in
the clandestine supply chain headed by Abdul Qadeer Khan, the
revelations cast fresh doubt on Iran's commitment to dispelling
suspicions it is trying to make atomic arms. But Iran insisted that
it was cooperating.
The diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the designs
were of a P-2 centrifuge — more advanced than the P-1 model Iran
has acknowledged using to enrich uranium for what is says are
peaceful purposes. They said preliminary investigations by
inspectors working for the International Atomic Energy Agency
indicated they matched drawings of equipment found in Libya and
supplied by Khan's network.
While highly enriched uranium is a key component of some nuclear
warheads, less enriched uranium can be used to generate power, which
is what Iran says it was interested in.
The diplomats said Iran did not volunteer the designs — despite
pledging last year to replace nearly two decades of secrecy with
full openness about all aspects of its nuclear activities. Instead,
they said, IAEA inspectors had to dig for them.
"Coming up with them is an example of real good inspector
work," one of the diplomats told The Associated Press.
"They took information and put it together and put something in
front of them that they can't deny."
The diplomats said Iran had not yet formally explained why the
advanced centrifuge designs were not voluntarily handed over to the
agency.
Still, the diplomats emphasized that — despite putting into
question Iran's pledge to be fully open — the find did not advance
suspicions that Tehran was trying to make nuclear weapons.
The United States and others accuse Iran of having nuclear weapons
ambitions. Iran agreed to end nearly two decades of nuclear secrecy
late last year but only under intense international pressure
generated by the discovery of its enrichment program.
"We're not convinced Iran has come completely clean,"
Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton told a security conference in
Berlin. "There is no doubt in our minds that Iran continues to
pursue nuclear weapons. They have not complied even with the
commitment they made in October."
In Rome, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi denied Iran had any
nuclear weapons ambitions.
"We do not have anything to hide and we are ready to be
inspected more (seriously) by IAEA inspectors," Kharrazi told
reporters on the sidelines of a conference celebrating 50 years of
Vatican-Iranian relations.
"There may be questions by IAEA inspectors but we are ready to
verify those, and what has been achieved altogether up until now is
out of our cooperation with IAEA," Kharrazi said in English
when asked about the discovery of the drawings. "As long as we
are ready to continue our cooperation, all outstanding questions
will be verified."
But the Vatican issued a stern message on nuclear weapons during
Kharrazi's visit, with Pope John Paul II urging Iran to continue
cooperating with U.N. inspectors and his Foreign Minister warning
that the pursuit of such weapons only multiplies conflicts.
President Bush acknowledged loopholes in the international
enforcement system and urged the United Nations and member states to
draft criminal penalties for nuclear trafficking.
While accusing Khan of being the mastermind of a clandestine nuclear
supply operation, Bush avoided criticism of the Pakistani
government, a key ally in the fight against terror. Pakistani
President Pervez Musharraf says his government knew nothing of
Khan's network, even though his military controlled the nation's
nuclear program.
Khan, a national hero in Pakistan for creating a nuclear deterrent
against archrival India, confessed on Pakistani television last week
to masterminding a network that supplied Libya, Iran and North Korea
with nuclear technology. Musharraf then pardoned him.
In a recent speech, Musharraf said help with nuclear proliferation
had come from different countries — not just Pakistan.
"But things happened from here also, and we need to correct our
house," he said. "We are a responsible nation. We must not
proliferate."
Earlier this year, Libya handed over engineers' drawings of a crude
nuclear warhead linked to Khan as part of its decision to scrap all
programs aimed at making weapons of mass destruction.
Malaysia pledged Thursday to share information with Washington from
its investigation of B.S.A. Tahir, a man Bush described as a major
player in the trafficking network. But top Malaysian officials
insisted the sole known case of Malaysian involvement was the
unwitting manufacture of parts seized en route to Libya last year.
China also declared it had a "common interest" with the
United States in halting illicit arms trafficking. Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said Beijing would take "effective
measures" to enforce rules against exports of weapons
technology by Chinese companies.
In Moscow, Russian nuclear energy minister Alexander Rumyantsev
postponed a trip to Iran next week because the countries have not
nailed down agreements involving a reactor Russia is building.
Russia has been under pressure to freeze the $800 million deal, with
the United States saying the facility could help Iran develop
weapons.
Iran-Pakistan nuclear proliferation may lead to regional instability
in both Asia and the Middle East if not stopped dead in its tracks
immediately.
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