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Rediff.com  » News » France unsure about Pakistan's nuclear deterrent: WikiLeaks

France unsure about Pakistan's nuclear deterrent: WikiLeaks

May 29, 2011 18:41 IST
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France, not sure about Pakistan's nuclear deterrent, has decided against supplying nuclear energy technology to it, according to a secret United States diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks.

According to a cable dated September 3, 2009 disclosed by whistle-blower website and published in the Dawn newspaper, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's Diplomatic Adviser Jean-David Levitte had told US diplomats that the French government was "not sure that the Pakistani nuclear deterrent is secure," especially "with the frequent movement of nuclear weapons by the Pakistani military."

The Taliban has stepped-up a violent campaign in Pakistan to avenge Osama bin Laden's killing and has renewed fears that the country's nuclear warheads could be vulnerable.

French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet had on May 27, in New Delhi expressed his concerns regarding Pakistan, saying "this part of the world needs some clarification and stability as well. India is an old strategic partner... Regarding Pakistan we are waiting for clarifications".

Longuet, however, had evaded a direct reply on whether France would stop sale of heavy weaponry to Pakistan in the wake of bin Laden being found in Abbottabad.

 

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