U.S. official says Pakistan's atomic weapons safe

By Robert Birsel

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Saturday Pakistan's nuclear weapons were well protected and he was not worried they might fall into the hands of terrorists.

Pakistan is a major ally in the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism but deteriorating security, particularly after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in December, has raised concern about the safety of its nuclear weapons.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen met President Pervez Musharraf and military leaders for talks on Saturday. He also met the official in charge of the country's nuclear arsenal, retired Lieutenant-General Khalid Kidwai.

"I'm very comfortable that the nuclear weapons are secure, that there are proper procedures in place," Mullen told a news conference. "I'm not concerned at all that they're going to fall into the hands of any terrorists."

Pakistan has stepped up efforts to counter what it regards as scaremongering over the security of its nuclear weapons because of threats from al Qaeda and its allies, and political uncertainty.

Kidwai told reporters last month Pakistan has boosted security at nuclear facilities and there was no chance of Islamist militants getting their hands on atomic weapons.

Mullen said he was not aware of comments from a U.S. official in Washington on Friday that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Omar are operating from Pakistan.

STEADFAST ALLY

The senior U.S. administration official in Washington told reporters bin Laden, his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri and others were operating out of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas bordering Afghanistan.

Omar and other Taliban leaders were directing insurgency operations in Afghanistan from the Pakistani city of Quetta, said the U.S. official, who declined to be identified.

"I haven't actually seen that intelligence and have actually not heard that statement. I'm not aware that that's a fact at all," Mullen said.

Pakistan has consistently denied the militant leaders were on its territory since they disappeared when U.S.-led troops overthrew the Taliban in Afghanistan for refusing to hand over bin Laden after the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Pakistan has received about $10 billion in U.S. aid since abandoning its support for the Taliban and joining the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism following the attacks in 2001.

But Musharraf's imposition of six weeks of emergency rule on November 3 prompted the U.S. Congress to tie aid to some conditions related to democracy and anti-terrorism.

Some U.S. politicians later called on President George W. Bush to consider cutting Pakistani aid unless it restored full civil rights and did more to fight terrorism.