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Home  » News » Nuke proliferation to top Koizumi's Pak visit

Nuke proliferation to top Koizumi's Pak visit

Source: PTI
April 28, 2005 13:21 IST
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The issues of nuclear proliferation and resumption of development assistance to Islamabad will figure during talks between Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

Koizumi will be on a two-day visit to Pakistan beginning April 30.

"Japan wants more information, if there is any, about A Q Khan, and the alleged nuclear cooperation between Islamabad and Pyongyang," Japan's Ambassador to Pakistan Nobuaki Tanaka told reporters in Islamabad on Wednesday.

Japan has serious reservations about alleged Pakistan-North Korea cooperation in nuclear technology and the issue would be raised by Koizumi during his talks with President Musharraf, he said.

"From our side, non-proliferation, Japanese security concerns, terrorism and more reforms in Pakistan would be the main topics of discussion during Prime Minister Koizumi's visit to Pakistan," he told Dawn daily.

He said Japan would resume loans to Pakistan, suspended after Islamabad conducted nuclear tests, adding Tokyo "will not link the resumption of the Yen Loan Programme to Islamabad with the issue of nuclear proliferation."

He said Koizumi would make a formal announcement about the resumption of the Official Development Assistance. Pakistan had been receiving roughly $ 500 million Japanese assistance annually prior to 1998, which, would substantially be enhanced in future.

 

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