 | "Oh, yasss! We're hoping it'll all blow over in a week or so. If it doesn't, we'll pretend it has, and eventually it will." |
Pakistan yesterday said it hopes the controversy regarding centrifuges will end after inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said Pakistan is likely to send old parts of centrifuges to Vienna for inspection following a request by Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency. "Pakistan wants to be transparent in this controversy," Kasuri told a news conference in Karachi. "They may be dispatched only for the purpose of matching the contamination level with Iran's centrifuges in the custody of the IAEA. "At no point will those currently useless centrifuge components be out of our custody. The analysis will be carried out in the presence of our experts and the results will be fully shared."
Kasuri's remarks came against the backdrop of bitter criticism from the Pakistani opposition regarding the handling of the issue. The opposition has expressed fears that it would compromise Pakistan's own nuclear programme and could lead to the possibility of international inspections. |