[mixin visuals]

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have concluded a secret agreement on “nuclear cooperation” that will provide the Saudis with nuclear-weapons technology in exchange for cheap oil, the WASHINGTON TIMES will report on Wednesday, sources tell DRUDGE... Developing Hard...



PAPER: PAKISTAN, SAUDI ARABIA IN SECRET NUKE PACT

http://www.drudgereport.com/

think its true?

[RooneyX]

Is Bush still giving Pakistan billions to arm itself against the world's largest democracy?

[DBursey]

From a story at globalsecurity.org:

Saudi Arabia first opened a nuclear research center in the desert military complex at Al-Suleiyel, near Al-Kharj, in 1975. Saudi Arabia reportedly offered to pay for reconstruction of the Osirak-reactor, destructed by Israel on 06 June 1981. By at least 1985 Iraqi and Saudi military and nuclear experts were co-operating closely. Saudi nuclear scientists were sent to Baghdad for months of training.

In late June 1994 Muhammad Khilewi, the second-in-command of the Saudi mission to the United Nations, abandoned his UN post to join the opposition. After defecting, Mr. Khilewi, who was denied federal protection, went into hiding, fearing for his life. He has tried to distribute more than 10,000 documents he obtained from the Saudi Arabian Embassy.

Khilewi produced documents for the London Sunday Times that supported his charge that the Saudi government had paid up to five billion dollars from the Saudi treasury for Saddam Hussein to build a nuclear weapon. Between 1985 and 1990, up to the time Saddam invaded Kuwait, the payments were made on condition that some of the bombs, should the project succeed, be transferred to the Saudi arsenal.

I can't vouch for the veracity of the story, but neither would I dismiss it out of hand, given the tensions and evolving security paradigm in the region. The Saudis are feeling vulnerable these days - perhaps justifiably - having witnessed a fellow Sunni regime go up in smoke while their Shiite neighbors across the gulf parry international suspicions of their own clandestine weapons programme.

[Uday's Carcass]

this is bad news. The Saudi regime is fundamentally unstable. Putting nukes in its hands is a serious international concern and a breach of the nonproliferation treaty (NPT).

'Behold, I am become death, destroyer of worlds.'

[macvillage.net]

Doubt it's completely true.

There is no real reason for Saudi Arabia to need this deal. They have relatively good security. Just cutting off oil for a few weeks puts a country on it's knees.

Saudi Arabia also has a relatively advanced nuclear program. Just hasn't gone towards weapons (since there isn't a real need). If they really had a desire, they would have done so already.

Pakistan, perhaps has motive for sharing their knowledge... but Pakistan loves post 9/11, and it's chance to get friendly with the US (something it had 0% chance of prior thanks to our relationship with India). Pakistan isn't stupid enough to ruin that. It's not worth it. Not by a long shot. Pakistan isn't stupid. If they were, they wouldn't be where they are right now.



Looks to me like a rumor blown out of proportion. Closest I could possibly see is some sort of an energy pact.

There is no reason for Saudi Arabia to want nuclear weapons. All it would do is increase agression towards them. They don't want that. The oil they have, and the power over Opec is a more powerful weapon anyway.

Pakistan doesn't want to piss of the US. It would be harmful to them. 9/11 was the best thing that ever happened for Pakistan. It gave their government a whole new chance at relations with the western world. Musharraf has been on a tightrope for months between not pissing off the US, and his own people... and has been doing a good job at it. A balance that gives the US as much help as possible, without causing an uprising that would hinder the US and the Pakistani government. A real feat of politics.



There doesn't seem to be legitimate basis for this. Saudi Arabia doesn't want to intice agression. It has power. Nuclear weapons just make nations targets. Saudi Arabia is the only nation in the region which realizes the region is volitile. It would be of no benefit to them to have nukes. It would only harm them. And they know that. If they didn't. They would have them for several years already, and have given the information to Pakistan.