Obviously you or BanTaleban did not read the full article.
Its a realistic question posted by the Qudssia thats all.
Read red part and it is obvious that French have not denied or agreed to anything claimed by the officials but analyst have been very instrumental including the writer.
**Now that should be considered as a cold shower to anyone thinking or making claims that any person is fooling.
The title of article has a question mark and you got stimulated and agreed with the question without reading the article.
**
Is Pakistan putting a spin on fancy French N-locks?
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
By Qudssia Akhlaque
ISLAMABAD: The much-publicised French “offer” of civilian nuclear “technology” to Pakistan during President Asif Zardari’s first official visit to Paris on May 15 remains shrouded in ambiguity as the French have only talked of nuclear safety.
Projected as a major ‘achievement’ by the president and his key aides, the controversy surrounding the French offer raises key questions that range from flawed interpretation to spin doctoring to a case of caution. The ambiguity flows from the divergent statements by the two sides that reflect a disconnect between the French offer and how it was interpreted or flagged by the PPP-led government in Islamabad.
“France has agreed to transfer civilian nuclear technology to Pakistan. That is a significant development, and we have agreed that Pakistan should be treated like India. President Sarkozy said, and I quote him, ‘What can be done for India, can be done for Pakistan as well,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmud Qureshi told the media after President Zardari’s bilateral meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at Elysee Palace.
Later, the AFP quoted a spokesman of the French government as saying President Sarkozy had “confirmed France was ready, within the framework of its international agreements, to co-operate with Pakistan in the field of nuclear safety. This is so the Pakistani programme can develop in the best conditions of safety and security.”
Notably the statement by the French spokesman did not even once use the term civilian nuclear technology, leave aside France’s consent to “transfer” this technology to Pakistan. Similarly, neither did the Pakistani side refer to France’s readiness to cooperate with it in nuclear safety. Whether it was by design that the French opted to refrain from making public its offer at this stage to maintain a level of ambiguity or it was a case of misinterpretation or spin doctoring by the Pakistani side, remains unclear.
However, one thing is certain. Both sides chose to be deliberately selective in their respective statements, ostensibly highlighting only aspects that suited them politically. Hence, no joint statement was issued after the meeting between the two presidents. “While at this point clarity suits Islamabad on the French offer, ambiguity suits Paris,” is how one nuclear expert summed up the conflicting statements.
A communique issued on May 19 by the office of the French president after his meeting with President Zardari does not mention at all their discussion on cooperation in the field of civilian nuclear technology. In fact no reference to anything nuclear has been made in the three-paragraphed communiquÈ which starts with the French president’s pledge of support for democracy in Pakistan and his decision to “grant substantial assistance to respond to grave humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Swat valley” and ends with the call by Sarkozy for the “absolute necessity for Pakistan to pursue its efforts against Taliban extremism as well as against all other terrorist groups threatening its territory and its neighbours and to closely cooperate in this respect with neighbouring countries”.
A subsequent statement by the spokesperson of the French ministry of foreign and European affairs on May 19, 2009 also makes no mention of any offer of civilian nuclear technology to Pakistan and merely talks of France’s willingness to cooperate with Pakistan in the field of nuclear security which is obviously quite different from the former. It is noted: “Furthermore, France ñ within the framework of its international commitments ñ is prepared to cooperate with Pakistan in the field of nuclear security to ensure that the Pakistani civilian program is developed under the best possible safety and security conditions.” It adds: “That’s why the (foreign) minister discussed it with President Zardari in New York, and President Sarkozy discussed it with his counterpart in Paris. The Pakistani authorities are interested in the possibility of assistance. Now we must see how it can be put in place.”
**There was no immediate comment from the French embassy here when this correspondent contacted it last week and asked to explain the disconnect in the statements given by the two sides on the subject of nuclear civilian technology offer. **However, towards the end of the week the Press Attache at the embassy, Aqil Hussain, got back with this response via email: “I have talked to Adrien Arbouche, Press Counsellor, regarding your phone calls. He has advised me to inform you that the French embassy has nothing to add as to what has been said in the attached communique and the statement (by the French ministry of foreign and European affairs).”
Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit has been equally non-committal on this question. When specifically asked if France had made a categorical offer of civilian nuclear technology and whether or not for sale of this technology to Pakistan it would have to first get approval from the Nuclear Supplier’s Group (NSG), he left it at: “This and other related issues will be discussed when the two sides meet in July to negotiate a broader framework agreement.” He gave a similar response when asked if the French offer was conditional.
But when attention of a former Pakistani diplomat was drawn to this predicament he saw it as “purely an issue of comprehension” and not properly understanding the nuances of the offer made. “The offer may have been misinterpreted in the process of being translated from the French into the English language,” he noted.
“Basically the French must have offered to help secure our nuclear weapons with fancy French locks that do not unlock and in this context may have expressed willingness to consider Pakistan’s request for access to civilian nuclear technology,” is how he summed up the matter, adding: “They may have enticed us to buy their good locks to secure nuclear arsenal through an offer of possible cooperation in the civilian nuclear field.”
Amid mounting international concern, particularly among the major powers, about vulnerability of Pak nuclear arsenal with the whole world raising questions about its safety, some security analysts have doubts about the seriousness of the French offer.
“In this uncertain period when even our friends would be cautious and reluctant to go public with such an offer it seems most unlikely that a big country like France would make this categorical offer,” remarked one analyst. Also, just a week ahead of President Zardari’s visit to Paris the French President’s Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pierre Lellouche, had expressed serious concern about the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, fearing that militants could one day seize control of the country’s nuclear arsenal.
However, while members of the PPP-led government continue to blow the trumpet of the civilian nuclear technology offer by France, the French government has curiously remained tight-lipped on this particular question. Intriguingly, it has not denied or confirmed the Pakistani claim.
**There are various interpretations to this diplomatic silence. One, that France does not wish to embarrass Pakistan or wishes to avoid a controversy on this issue. Two, that the offer may not have been as categorical as our foreign minister made it sound. Three, it may have been conditional to Pakistan buying the ‘French locks’ to first secure its nuclear assets. Four, France may have been receptive to Pakistan’s request for considering the possibility of cooperation in the civilian nuclear field but is not going public with it to avoid controversy and pressure as it is mindful of the numerous steps it would entail. That it may first want to work through it in conjunction with the IAEA and other members of the NSG. Five, France wants to test waters to gauge international reaction, particularly after a precedent has been set with the India-specific Indo-US nuclear deal. Lastly, it may be a confidence-building measure (CBM) by France to develop confidence and make up for letting Pakistan down after making a commitment for a reprocessing plant in the 70s.
**
To be continued