Musharraf: We will act over nukes
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Musharraf: No evidence government was involved.
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DAVOS, Switzerland (CNN) -- Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has vowed to prosecute any Pakistani nuclear experts who passed their knowledge to other countries.
His comments come amid growing suspicion that Pakistani experts aided the nuclear programs of Iran, North Korea and Libya.
In an exclusive interview with CNN's Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour, Musharraf said his government had never exported nuclear know-how, but he said it was possible individual scientists may have sold secrets.
"We will move against any violators because they are enemies of the state," he said. The investigation would be completed "in a few weeks," he added.
"There is no evidence that any government or military personality was involved in this at all," he said. (Full text)
For years Pakistan had denied reports that its scientists might have been involved in proliferation.
But in December, Pakistan admitted individuals motivated by ambition or greed may have sold secrets, after U.N. inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities showed that "Pakistani-linked individuals" had acted as "intermediaries and black marketeers." (Full story)
Pakistani scientists were later implicated in a scheme to sell high-tech centrifuge technology to Libya, and have also been named in probes into North Korea's nuclear program.
Pakistan has detained three former army officers and four people in the country's nuclear program as part of an investigation into the possible spread of the country's nuclear weapons technology, Pakistani intelligence sources said Sunday. (Full story)
No formal appearances or charges have been made in court.
Musharraf, who is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, denied Pakistan had changed its stance on the issue. "It is not a question of changing stance -- it is just that names have been revealed and we have information," he said.
The head of the U.N. atomic agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, told reporters in Davos the allegations involved a "very sophisticated network of black market" operators and said he had not seen any evidence that the Pakistani government was involved.
