POLITICS: Pakistani Doubts Bin Laden Nuke Claim, Cites Conflicts

By Thalif Deen Reprint | | Print |

Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 11 2001 (IPS) - Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf doubts the veracity of Osama bin Laden’s claim to have access to nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.

Responding to questions here Saturday, Musharraf suggested nuclear weapons were too sophisticated for bin Laden to handle, let alone deploy.

“I cannot even imagine that he would have nuclear weapons, and particularly the trigger mechanisms and the delivery systems for such weapons,” Musharraf said.

In an interview with a Pakistani journalist last week, bin Laden not only claimed he had access to nuclear weapons but also that he reserved the right to use them if the United States deployed similar weapons against Afghanistan.

The Saudi exile, accused of masterminding Sep.11 terrorist attacks on the United States, added that he also had chemical and biological weapons.

Musharraf said there is a “possibility” that bin Laden possesses chemical weapons “but, frankly, I don’t have any information.”

Addressing the General Assembly for the first time since he took office in January, President George W. Bush told delegates that every country is a potential target of bin Laden.

“And all the world faces the most horrifying prospect of all: these same terrorists are searching for weapons of mass destruction, the tools to turn their hatred into holocaust,” Bush said.

“They can be expected to use chemical, biological and nuclear weapons the moment they are capable of doing so. No hint of conscience would prevent it,” he added.

White House spokesperson Ken Lisaius, in a statement Friday, said the United States was aware of bin Laden’s attempts to acquire weapons of mass destruction.

Musharraf leader dismissed speculation in some U.S. media that some of his country’s nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of bin Laden or Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, especially if the Pakistani government collapsed amid growing sectarian unrest and opposition to the U.S.-led military strikes on Afghanistan.

The Pakistani leader said his country’s nuclear arsenal is under “very strong custodial control.”

Likewise, he said he was more than willing to accept U.S. assistance to tighten security in and around Pakistan’s nuclear facilities as necessary but assailed speculation – also from U.S. media reports – that Washington has developed plans to “neutralise” the Pakistani nukes in the event that Musharraf’s government falls.

Such speculation, he said, “has a very negative impact on the public mind.”

Musharraf’s administration has been threatened by pro-Taliban Islamist militants angry over Pakistan’s decision to join the U.S.- led international coalition against terrorism.

The coalition itself remained shaky even as Bush urged U.N. member states to join the global “war against terrorism”.

India has expressed reservations over U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan and the continued air strikes, which have claimed civilian lives over the past month.

Even as he pledged his country’s support for the war on terrorism, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee hinted that U.S. forces would not be able to accomplish their mission because they are hobbled by poor intelligence.

In New Delhi, Defence Minister George Fernandes cast doubt on the effectiveness of the U.S. air strikes. “This is a waste of explosives in barren moutains,” he said. “The most it will do is melt the ice on the peaks earlier than usual.”

To his knowledge, Fernandes added, “no bridges have been hit so far, and many of the Taliban’s military facilities have been left untouched.”

Musharraf himself broke ranks with Washington by blaming “unresolved political disputes” in Bosnia, Kosovo, Palestine, and Kashmir for the rise in terrorism.

“Unfortunately, all these disputes involve Muslims, and more sadly the Muslims happen to be the victims in all, which tends to give a religious tinge to these otherwise political objectives,” he said.

The lack of progress in resolving these disputes, he added, has created a sense of deprivation, hopelessness and powerlessness – all leading to terrorism.

“To fight the extremist, deprive him of his motivation,” Musharraf urged. “The extremist survives in an environment where millions suffer injustice and indignity.”