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US urges Pakistan not to use new reactor for weapons

by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Jul 24, 2006
The United States on Monday confirmed but played down news reports that Pakistan is building a powerful new nuclear reactor and urged Islamabad not to use the facility for military purposes.

"We have been aware of these plans and we discourage any use of that facility for military purposes such as weapons development," White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters.

The Washington Post, citing US-based nuclear experts reported that the reactor could produce enough plutonium for 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year, a 20-fold increase from Pakistan's current capabilities.

"Pakistan of course is outside the non proliferation treaty and therefore they do develop their capabilities independently," Snow said.

The move could signal a potential new escalation in the region's arms race between pits nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan.

The construction site is adjacent to Pakistan's only plutonium production reactor, a 50-megawatt unit that began operating in 1998, it said.

By contrast, the dimensions of the new reactor suggest a capacity of 1,000 megawatts or more, according to the analysis by the Institute for Science and International Security, it said.

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NKorea to meet SKorea at Asian forum amid missile row
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Jul 24, 2006
North Korea will meet South Korea on the sidelines of an Asian forum this week but is unwilling to join six-nation talks on Pyongyang's nuclear programme, Malaysia's foreign minister said Monday.







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