Pakistan provides details on leak of nuclear secrets

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- President Pervez Musharraf provided US Secretary of State Colin L. Powell yesterday with a summary of the dealings that nuclear smuggler Abdul Qadeer Khan had with Pakistani officials during the period when Khan peddled nuclear designs and components to Libya, North Korea, and Iran, Powell said.

Powell, who had said he would seek details on the links between the smuggling ring and Pakistani officials, said he had learned new information but would not describe it. "What I want to do is reflect on what he said to me and discuss it with some of my other colleagues back in Washington before I comment on the specifics of it," Powell said.

After talks with Musharraf, Powell began a surprise visit to Baghdad today, Reuters reported. US officials declined to disclose details of his visit, Reuters said.

Musharraf pardoned Khan after he admitted to a broad scheme that netted him tens of millions of dollars and spread nuclear technology worldwide. But questions have persisted about how Khan's nuclear network could operate without the knowledge or participation of senior Pakistani military, intelligence, and government officials.

"No responsible government of Pakistan should have tolerated such a thing, and I hope they did not," Powell said, adding, "We've got to get all the facts."

The Bush administration has treated the issues of government links to the Khan network cautiously because Pakistan is considered crucial to the war on terror. Reflecting that delicate balance, Powell announced after meeting with Pakistan's foreign minister here that the administration would grant Pakistan the coveted status of a "major non-NATO ally," making it easier for the country to procure military equipment. The announcement came as Pakistani troops waged a bloody battle in a remote tribal area against Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters.

Powell rejected any link between the awarding of Pakistan's new status and the Khan investigation. Naming Pakistan a major non-NATO ally is "part of a normal relationship with countries we have military-to-military relations with, and we think it is a sensible thing to do," Powell said. "It is not a reward for A. Q. Khan. It's part of a continuing relationship."

The benefits of major non-NATO status for Pakistan are unclear. Although it makes procurement of surplus military equipment easier and could help Pakistan in fighting Al Qaeda, it does not give the country the same mutual defense and security guarantees as members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Powell acknowledged the status can be symbolic for some countries. The Bush administration has also passed out the title to Kuwait and Thailand.

India, Pakistan's South Asia rival, does not have this status, a fact Pakistani officials were eager to note. But the Bush administration earlier this year gave India its own plum: an agreement to help India with its nuclear energy and space technology in return for India's promise to use the aid for peaceful purposes and to help block the spread of weapons.

The Islamist opposition in Pakistan heavily criticized the US offer, saying it would make the country a "client state."

"I will be very unhappy if Pakistan is inching towards this alliance with the US," Khurshid Ahmad, vice president of the main fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami party, told Agence France-Presse. "This is neither an honor nor a step towards global security. We have to avoid becoming a mercenary and a client state."