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CNN Live At Daybreak
Nuke Technology, Pakistan Investigates Its Own Scientists
Aired January 23, 2004 - 06:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Did Pakistan pass nuclear technology to so-called rogue states, including Iran? That's what our Christiane Amanpour asked Pakistan's president in an interview, seen live here in CNN about an hour ago.
Christiane joins us live from London to tell us what she learned.
You talked about a lot of things, Christiane, from the assassination attempts, two assassination attempts, to Kashmir, to even al Qaeda and Afghanistan.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, indeed. But we did spend most of the interview on the nuclear proliferation issue and on the spotlight that Pakistan is under and the pressure Pakistan is under by the U.S. and other countries to make sure that none of its nuclear technology is passed on to other countries.
Now, there is an investigation under way in Pakistan that started over the last couple of months. And Pakistan has just announced that all of its nuclear scientists, all of its scientists who work on its nuclear program are forbidden from leaving the country pending the conclusion of this inquiry.
Now, to us, the president, Musharraf, insisted that the Pakistan government had never known or countenanced any proliferation of nuclear technology. That is the Pakistani line. But he is now saying that it is possible that individual scientists could have, as he said, for personal greed or financial gain have passed on secrets in the past, and that is the subject of this investigation.
He said that they were looking very closely at the matter, that the inquiry should be concluded, he said, within a short time.
But we specifically asked about concerns of the United States, about the proliferation and the passing on of secrets or knowledge to Iran, North Korea and Libya. And we specifically asked about the centrifuge design technology to Libya. Centrifuge is used in the enrichment of uranium.
Now, he did not specifically deny it. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PAKISTAN: Well, I'm not denying anything, because we are investigating it, as I said. We want to know. We've sent teams to Libya. We've sent teams to Iran. And we are in contact with the IAEA. We are collecting all of the data. We are collecting all of the facts from them.
And also, the investigation within our own (UNINTELLIGIBLE) organizations is taking place. There is nothing that we want to hide. We want to be very open and clear about it that we will move against anybody who has proliferated, any individual we will give strong action against him.
But what I get concerned about is there is apparently in the media a perception being created that Pakistan is the only culprit around in the world. That is not the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: Now, as to a question that was reported from Pakistan this week that during the '80s the top military commander authorized the passing of nuclear technology to Iran, the president denied that; again saying that no military commander nor government leader would ever have authorized that.
But the fact of the matter is that Pakistan over the years has roundly denied that there was any nuclear leakage. Now, as you've heard from the president, they are still denying that it's officially sanctioned, but raising the issue that it could have been the result of rogue scientists, as they put it -- people motivated by their own ambition and personal greed.
Whatever, it is clear that Pakistan is undertaking a much more rigorous investigation of this serious issue than it has done in the past -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Christiane Amanpour, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired January 23, 2004 - 06:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Did Pakistan pass nuclear technology to so-called rogue states, including Iran? That's what our Christiane Amanpour asked Pakistan's president in an interview, seen live here in CNN about an hour ago.
Christiane joins us live from London to tell us what she learned.
You talked about a lot of things, Christiane, from the assassination attempts, two assassination attempts, to Kashmir, to even al Qaeda and Afghanistan.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, indeed. But we did spend most of the interview on the nuclear proliferation issue and on the spotlight that Pakistan is under and the pressure Pakistan is under by the U.S. and other countries to make sure that none of its nuclear technology is passed on to other countries.
Now, there is an investigation under way in Pakistan that started over the last couple of months. And Pakistan has just announced that all of its nuclear scientists, all of its scientists who work on its nuclear program are forbidden from leaving the country pending the conclusion of this inquiry.
Now, to us, the president, Musharraf, insisted that the Pakistan government had never known or countenanced any proliferation of nuclear technology. That is the Pakistani line. But he is now saying that it is possible that individual scientists could have, as he said, for personal greed or financial gain have passed on secrets in the past, and that is the subject of this investigation.
He said that they were looking very closely at the matter, that the inquiry should be concluded, he said, within a short time.
But we specifically asked about concerns of the United States, about the proliferation and the passing on of secrets or knowledge to Iran, North Korea and Libya. And we specifically asked about the centrifuge design technology to Libya. Centrifuge is used in the enrichment of uranium.
Now, he did not specifically deny it. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PAKISTAN: Well, I'm not denying anything, because we are investigating it, as I said. We want to know. We've sent teams to Libya. We've sent teams to Iran. And we are in contact with the IAEA. We are collecting all of the data. We are collecting all of the facts from them.
And also, the investigation within our own (UNINTELLIGIBLE) organizations is taking place. There is nothing that we want to hide. We want to be very open and clear about it that we will move against anybody who has proliferated, any individual we will give strong action against him.
But what I get concerned about is there is apparently in the media a perception being created that Pakistan is the only culprit around in the world. That is not the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: Now, as to a question that was reported from Pakistan this week that during the '80s the top military commander authorized the passing of nuclear technology to Iran, the president denied that; again saying that no military commander nor government leader would ever have authorized that.
But the fact of the matter is that Pakistan over the years has roundly denied that there was any nuclear leakage. Now, as you've heard from the president, they are still denying that it's officially sanctioned, but raising the issue that it could have been the result of rogue scientists, as they put it -- people motivated by their own ambition and personal greed.
Whatever, it is clear that Pakistan is undertaking a much more rigorous investigation of this serious issue than it has done in the past -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Christiane Amanpour, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
