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Politics : Dutch Central Bank Sale Announcement Imminent? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: philv who wrote (22373)	2/13/2005 9:28:05 PM
From: sea_urchin	Respond to of 81187

Phil > Canada first sold India a Candu Reactor, which is a heavy water reactor developed and employed in Canada So it seems. ccnr.org > That success was later repeated with Pakistan, with the same guarantee of non-nuclear weapon guarantee. This reference indicates that China could be held responsible fas.org >>China played a major role in the development of Pakistan's nuclear infrastructure, especially when increasingly stringent export controls in western countries made it difficult for Pakistan to acquire materials and technology elsewhere. According to a 2001 Department of Defense report, China has supplied Pakistan with nuclear materials and expertise and has provided critical assistance in the construction of Pakistan's nuclear facilities. In the 1990s, China designed and supplied the heavy water Khusab reactor, which plays a key role in Pakistan's production of plutonium. A subsidiary of the China National Nuclear Corporation also contributed to Pakistan's efforts to expand its uranium enrichment capabilities by providing 5,000 custom made ring magnets, which are a key component of the bearings that facilitate the high-speed rotation of centrifuges. According to Anthony Cordesman of CSIS, China is also reported to have provided Pakistan with the design of one of its warheads, which is relatively sophisticated in design and lighter than U.S. and Soviet designed first generation warheads. China also provided technical and material support in the completion of the Chasma nuclear power reactor and plutonium reprocessing facility, which was built in the mid 1990s. The project had been initiated as a cooperative program with France, but Pakistan's failure to sign the NPT and unwillingness to accept IAEA safeguards on its entire nuclear program caused France to terminate assistance.<< > Efforts continue to sell these reactors to any and all prospective customeers But not only by Canada. One can be sure that Russia, China, France, N.Korea and now Pakistan are all in the business. > To go from peaceful electrical generation to the nuclear weapons option is just a matter of time if history is any guide. That's the problem but why should Iran be singled out when every Tom, Dick and Harry can lay his hands on nuclear technology? At one time, even South Africa had some atomic bombs (which have now been destroyed). And, as I mentioned, if Israel can keep its facilities in defiance of the IAEA one can hardly blame the Arab nations for feeling threatened.