**Syria spurned atom smuggler approach in 2001: Assad ** Thursday, December 20, 2007
VIENNA: **Syria rebuffed a possible approach in 2001 from Pakistani-led traffickers in nuclear arms technology, President Bashar Al-Assad said.
In an interview with Austrian daily Die Presse, Assad said an unnamed person delivered to Syria a letter purportedly from AQ Khan. “At the beginning of 2001 someone brought us a letter from a certain Khan. We did not know if the letter was genuine or a forgery by Israel to lure us into a trap,” Assad was quoted by Die Presse on Wednesday as saying.
“In any case, we rejected (the approach). We were not interested in having nuclear weapons or a nuclear reactor. We never met Khan,”** he said.
In September, Israel bombed a Syrian site that Western analysts said might have been a covert nuclear reactor under construction. Damascus said it was a minor military building.
Western analysts who examined satellite imagery of the Syrian site targeted by Israeli warplanes on September 6 said it might have contained a nuclear reactor under construction similar to North Korean design. They found it suspicious that the structure appeared to have been razed by Syria after the air attack.
“This was a military facility under construction. Since it was a military facility, I can’t give details. But that does not mean that this was a nuclear facility…,” Assad said.
Syria has said it is hiding nothing from International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.
The IAEA has also studied before-and-after commercial aerial photos of the site and asked Syria for explanations. Diplomats close to the IAEA said Syria has not replied and the pictures alone were unlikely to yield conclusions. reuters
Re: Pakistan tried to sell nukes to Syria in 2001: President Assad
At least for the country of the thread ------> pretty much!
And I think it could have been an intelligence ploy by Israel. Syria is considered a known enemy of Israel and Pakistan never really had that deep relationship, notwithstanding sending our pilots to Syria in 67 and 73, to merit such an involvement. It would have been found out by americans much before.
Re: Pakistan tried to sell nukes to Syria in 2001: President Assad
^^ yaar i feel pity of people like assad, even if smeone oki aq khan reach you and you didnt accept the offer. Why to make a news now? idiots mushi was right when refering to nations like iran and libya that they cant make a bomb.
Re: Pakistan tried to sell nukes to Syria in 2001: President Assad
this is in response enemies of syria (and beyond) pressure (discrimination) for syria to avoid obtaining a military detterent. so not only did this guy shoot his people in the foot before, he is still doing it now by these pathetic responses to declared enemies of his state. i expect hes people to be walking on their ankles when the time comes!!
inadvertendly this state of arab military is also effecting the security of pakistan
Re: Pakistan tried to sell nukes to Syria in 2001: President Assad
Syria and Egypt were never friends with Pakistan.
Syria and Egypt were USSR allies during the Cold War while Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan were allied with USA.
Even after the cold war ended, Pakistani-Syrian relations remained frosty due to Sunni-Shia hostility in Pakistan which pissed off Iran and its chief ally in the middle east, Syria.
This is exactly the reason why Pakistan and Pakistanis should mind their own business.
Instead of dragging themselves into other conflicts when there is so much to do in Pakistan.
Re: Pakistan tried to sell nukes to Syria in 2001: President Assad
Arab leaders are never to be trusted. But what is most amazing. Why would a Pakistani newspaper publish such news out-dated news? We in Vienna knew It years back.
