Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi on Wednesday reiterated Pakistan's readiness to share its expertise and experience in nuclear security matters with rest of the world. Speaking at a regional seminar on UN Security Council Resolution 1540, he apprised the participants about the Centre for Excellence on Nuclear Security, adding after first hand opportunity to witness some of the training expertise that the Centre can offer in the area of nuclear security.
"I wish to take this opportunity to reiterate Pakistan's readiness to share its expertise and experience, as well as provision of technical assistance in these areas," he added.
He said that the two day deliberations were designed to provide a platform for deliberations, sharing of experiences and developing ideas for collaboration. He hoped that the seminar has been a worthwhile experience for both the guests from abroad and local officials, academia and think tanks.
He said that Resolution 1540 and its successor incarnations have played an important role in raising awareness about the risks of misuse of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and related materials. Fatemi said that the 1540 Committee and its Group of Experts have developed positive synergies with states, international and regional organisations, in support of implementation objectives of the resolution. This outreach is useful for many states, he added.
The key role of assistance and co-operation emerged as a major and cross-cutting theme during the two day proceedings, he said, adding for developing countries, assistance is seen as a vital enabler in the effective implementation of the obligations that the resolution entails.
"I am confident the Committee and the Group would benefit from the feedback and concrete proposals as they review the existing assistance mechanisms," he maintained. He said that the seminar provided an important opportunity for our officials to share the wide range of measures undertaken by Pakistan in the area of export and border controls, safety and security.
The dissemination of and advances in technologies as well as international trade, accompanied by risks of their unauthorised access, requires continued vigilance and collaborative efforts, he added.
He said that Pakistan's constructive engagement with and contribution to the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) process, the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT), OPCW, IAEA, the United Nations demonstrates our commitment towards advancement of non-proliferation goals. "Pakistan believes that control measures to address risks of WMD acquisition should not hinder the legitimate quest of the developing countries to access and use strategic materials and technologies for peaceful purposes. Pakistan therefore, advocates the need for striking a right balance between the imperatives of security and development," he added. He further said that developing countries with the requisite advanced capacities, should be afforded an equal opportunity, for participation in the governance of international export control regime.