Bush says "no" to giving Pakistan nuclear deal
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-03-05 10:32

US President George W. Bush told Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday he opposed giving Pakistan the same kind of nuclear agreement just reached with arch rival India.

US President George W. Bush (L) and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf (R) listen to a question during a joint news conference after officials talks at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad March 4, 2006. [Reuter]

Bush told a joint news conference that he and Musharraf discussed the issue in their private talks and "I explained that Pakistan and India are different countries with different needs and different histories."

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Pakistan had expressed an interest in a deal like the one between the United States and India but that "it's not the right time for that."

The India deal, announced on Thursday, marks a breakthrough for New Delhi, long treated as a nuclear pariah by the world, allowing it to access U.S. atomic technology and fuel to meet its soaring energy needs. The agreement needs approval by the U.S. Congress.

Under the deal, India agreed to separate its military and civilian nuclear plants and open the latter to international inspections.

For 30 years, the United States led the effort to deny India nuclear technology because New Delhi tested and developed nuclear weapons in contravention of international norms.

Neither India nor its nuclear-armed neighbor Pakistan has signed the international nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Pakistan watched the U.S.-India agreement with interest.

U.S. officials have said Washington will not conclude a similar deal with Pakistan, which is under a cloud because of the role of its top atom scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan, in a nuclear proliferation scandal.

Rice said it should not be assumed that "everything we do in Pakistan is going to be appropriate in India or that everything we do in India is going to be appropriate in Pakistan."

She talked about clean coal and ethanol energy alternatives with Pakistan.

Bush said he recognized Pakistan had growing energy needs. Asked if the United States would oppose a natural gas pipeline to Iran, Bush did not say no.

"Our beef with Iran is not the pipeline. Our beef with Iran is the fact that they want to develop a nuclear weapon," Bush said.

Bush said Musharraf brought this issue up with him.

"He explained to me the natural gas situation here in the country. We understand you need to get natural gas in the region, and that's fine," Bush said.

Bush arrived in Pakistan on Friday on the last leg of a South Asian tour. He was he head back to the United States later on Saturday.