May 19, 2004 ☼ Foreign Affairs
This is an archived blog post from The Acorn.
Here’s another instance of the US State Department’s hypocritical ‘one principle, two applications’ nuclear non-proliferation policy, which seeks to admit China into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in spite of the latter’s irresponsible cooperation in helping Pakistan build a second nuclear reactor.
“But, although we would prefer that no such cooperation occur, Chasma II will be under IAEA safeguards and the NSG full-scope safeguards provisions have always made allowance for the completion of agreements and contracts entered into before membership,” [John Wolf, State Department official] explained. Henry Hyde, the Republican chairman of the House’s international relations panel, warned that Pakistan’s “record regarding non proliferation is unparalleled in its recklessness.”
“China, in joining the NSG with a contract in hand to provide a new nuclear power reactor to Pakistan, is a very serious issue,” he said. Since Pakistan does not allow international inspection of all its nuclear activities, NSG members are forbidden to engage in new nuclear cooperation with Pakistan, he said. China’s Pakistan contract however would be exempt from that prohibition, he added. [Daily Times]The wisdom of engaging China and admitting it into a tighter non-proliferation regime is not questionable - although enforcement is another story. But the forked tongue of the non-proliferation ayatollahs sticks out when India is denied a nuclear-have status with regard to the NPT.
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