This Article is From May 17, 2009

Obama to consider 'all options' on Pak nukes

Obama to consider 'all options' on Pak nukes
Washington:

US President Barack Obama says he is encouraged by the "decided shift" in Pakistan Army's recognition that the "threat" from Taliban was "much more immediate and serious" than it faced from India.

Obama also said he is confident that the nuclear arsenal of Pakistan is safe but will weigh-in "all options" in case it is threatened by the resurgent Taliban militants.

"One of the encouraging things is, over the last several weeks we've seen a decided shift in the Pakistan Army's recognition that the threat from extremism is a much more immediate and serious one than the threat from India that they've traditionally focused on," Obama said in an interview to Newsweek aboard Air Force One.

Asked whether he would be willing to keep the option alive to have American troops secure the nuclear weapons if the country gets less stable, the US President said, "I don't want to engage in hypothetical around Pakistan, other than to say we have confidence that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is safe; that the Pakistani military is equipped to prevent extremists from taking over those arsenals."

But Obama quickly added that as the Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces, he would have to consider "all options."

"As commander in chief, I have to consider all options, but I think that Pakistan's sovereignty has to be respected. We are trying to strengthen them as a partner," he said.

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