By IANS
Islamabad : Pakistan is looking for help from Europe, particularly France, for developing civilian nuclear technology, having failed so far to persuade the US that is moving to sign a deal with India.
Referring to the US-India cooperation in nuclear technology, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said Tuesday that France and other members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) should fulfil Islamabad’s requirement as well, “as Pakistan is a responsible nuclear power”.
“The European countries should adopt a criteria-based approach and extend cooperation to Pakistan for its peaceful nuclear programme,” he was quoted as saying in an Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) report.
He said Pakistan requires infrastructure to use nuclear technology in a peaceful manner for producing energy. “Therefore, the European Union and, in particular the NSG, should extend its help to Pakistan,” he added.
In this context, Kasuri especially referred to the cooperation with France that has supplied Augusta submarines and Mirage planes.
Replying to a question about the West’s demand for Pakistan “to do more in the war against terrorism”, Kasuri said Pakistan had done a lot and it was now the rest of the world’s turn to do more.