NUKES & PAKISTAN

Pak won`t accept discrimination in nuclear field: Musharraf

UNITED NATIONS: President General Pervez Musharraf Tuesday said Pakistan has a legitimate requirement for nuclear power generation to meet the energy needs of our expanding economy.

"As a responsible nuclear State, we will continue to seek nuclear technology for power generation under IAEA safeguards. We cannot accept discrimination in the nuclear field, " he observed this while addressing the 61st United Nations General Assembly here Tuesday.

The president said multilateral cooperation is the key to addressing the existing and emerging challenges of the 21st Century - political disputes, terrorism, proliferation, poverty, hunger, disease, economic disparities, migration, unemployment, environmental degradation and natural disasters. We appreciate the Secretary General`s initiatives to equip the United Nations to respond to these challenges. But we are yet a distance from the vision endorsed at the 2005 UN Summit.

He said that one of our strategic aims is to utilize Pakistan`s unique geo-strategic position to build trade, energy and communication corridors linking South Asia, West Asia, Central Asia and China. Regional integration will accelerate economic growth and prosperity in our part of Asia, and beyond.

Of course, the president said, Pakistan faces daunting challenges, within and without. We are facing them boldly to build an environment of peace and stability in our region.

"Pakistan desires a peaceful environment in the region. We have been engaged in a peace process with India, aimed at confidence building and resolving issues, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which have been the source of tension and conflict between the two countries in the past. Improved relations, and the conducive international environment, have brought an acceptable solution of this longstanding dispute within reach. I am confident that my positive meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Havana will help to carry forward the peace process which is vital for the future of both countries and for peace in South Asia and beyond."

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1) Pak won`t accept discrimination in nuclear field: Musharraf