Myanmar Claims it Abandoned Plans For Atomic Energy
A government minister in Myanmar last week claimed the government had dropped its goal of having a nuclear program "for peaceful purposes" due to worries it would be misconstrued by the global community, the weekly Myanmar Times reported (see GSN, Sept. 22).
Science and Technology Minister U Aye Myint told legislators Myanmar had no wish to acquire a nuclear deterrent.
"Myanmar is an ASEAN member and a signatory of (the) Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Treaty," the official said. "It is taking part in activities for regional peace and stability."
"Experts have said that Myanmar is not in a position to manufacture nuclear weapon because of a lack of infrastructure, technology and financial resources," he said. "Such accusations are not correct. I would also like to assure everyone that there is no plan at all to own nuclear weapons."
Earlier this month, a Myanmar diplomat told the U.N. General Assembly his country lacked the means to consider developing nuclear weapons.
Officials in the United States have been concerned for some time about potential illegal nuclear trade between Myanmar and North Korea. A report released last year by a dissident group accused the Burmese military government of secretly establishing a nuclear weapons program. The report relied on photographs and documents smuggled out of the Southeast Asian nation by an army defector; independent nuclear weapon experts have been divided over the implication of the smuggled papers.
"Although Myanmar sent some people to Russia and some other countries to study (nuclear technology) and negotiated with Russia for the construction of [a] nuclear reactor in order to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in the areas of health and education, it stopped because it did not have sufficient resources and worried that the international community would misunderstand," the minister asserted.
Should the atomic research effort resume, it would need to be monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, he said, adding, "Every country has the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy and Myanmar supports this."
The minister reaffirmed Myanmar's commitment to halting the spread of nuclear weapons but said the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty must not be exploited for political gain and that developing nations should be given the same treatment as developed states by the NPT monitoring regime
NTI: Global Security Newswire - Myanmar Claims it Abandoned Plans For Atomic Energy
Minister denies nuke rumours
A government minister in Myanmar last week claimed the government had dropped its goal of having a nuclear program "for peaceful purposes" due to worries it would be misconstrued by the global community, the weekly Myanmar Times reported (see GSN, Sept. 22).
Science and Technology Minister U Aye Myint told legislators Myanmar had no wish to acquire a nuclear deterrent.
"Myanmar is an ASEAN member and a signatory of (the) Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Treaty," the official said. "It is taking part in activities for regional peace and stability."
"Experts have said that Myanmar is not in a position to manufacture nuclear weapon because of a lack of infrastructure, technology and financial resources," he said. "Such accusations are not correct. I would also like to assure everyone that there is no plan at all to own nuclear weapons."
Earlier this month, a Myanmar diplomat told the U.N. General Assembly his country lacked the means to consider developing nuclear weapons.
Officials in the United States have been concerned for some time about potential illegal nuclear trade between Myanmar and North Korea. A report released last year by a dissident group accused the Burmese military government of secretly establishing a nuclear weapons program. The report relied on photographs and documents smuggled out of the Southeast Asian nation by an army defector; independent nuclear weapon experts have been divided over the implication of the smuggled papers.
"Although Myanmar sent some people to Russia and some other countries to study (nuclear technology) and negotiated with Russia for the construction of [a] nuclear reactor in order to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in the areas of health and education, it stopped because it did not have sufficient resources and worried that the international community would misunderstand," the minister asserted.
Should the atomic research effort resume, it would need to be monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, he said, adding, "Every country has the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy and Myanmar supports this."
The minister reaffirmed Myanmar's commitment to halting the spread of nuclear weapons but said the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty must not be exploited for political gain and that developing nations should be given the same treatment as developed states by the NPT monitoring regime
NTI: Global Security Newswire - Myanmar Claims it Abandoned Plans For Atomic Energy
Minister denies nuke rumours
