Zardari wants India-like peaceful nuke cooperation from Japan

TOKYO - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari said that Japan should extend similar kind of cooperation to his country on peaceful uses of nuclear energy like that of India.

“If Japan is willing to cooperate with India in nuclear technology and is giving nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, I do not see any reason why we should not deserve the same,” The Nation quoted Zardari, as saying.

On being asked whether he would raise the question of nuclear technology cooperation during his meeting with the Japanese counterpart, Zardari said: “I do not know what questions would be raised during discussions. It depends upon the circumstances there.”

Both India and Pakistan are not signatories to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, and the talks between Japan and India have raised concerns among survivors of the 1945 US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who fear that such negotiations could splash water on global efforts for a world without nuclear weapons, the paper said.

Japanese firms, however, have keen interest in providing nuclear power generation technology and related equipment to India, which plans to build 20 new nuclear power plants by 2020.

Zardari refuted report media reports that Pakistan has more nuclear weapons that India, saying, “There is always a difference between facts and fantasy.”ardari, who has already arrived in Japan, is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Naoto Kan and meet with Japanese business leaders and companies doing business with Pakistan. (ANI)