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Russia worried about security of Pakistan’s nukes

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: Russia is ‘very much concerned’ about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, said its deputy prime minister on Tuesday.

Sergei Ivanov also told a TV interviewer that Pakistan must be stabilised before peace could be achieved in Afghanistan.

“It’s obvious to anybody that the Pak-Afghan border is a safe haven for terrorists, for the Taliban,” said Ivanov. “They hit and run back to Pakistan. So you have to deal with both. Both are very unstable.” Ivanov said Russia sought to toughen ineffective controls on strategic weapons in cooperation with the US. “We obviously see that the present system of missile non-proliferation doesn’t work,” he said. “More and more countries are laying their hands on very dangerous missile technologies.”

Russia is also prepared to use ‘all possible means’ to help reach a ‘real settlement’ in Afghanistan short of contributing troops to the United Nations-mandated International Security Assistance Force. Russian President DmitryMedvedev said last month that Russia and its allies in Central Asia were ready for “full-fledged and comprehensive cooperation” with NATO forces in Afghanistan. Russia has already allowed the US to ship non-lethal cargoes across its territory to supply soldiers.

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