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US satisfied with Pakistan’s N-security arrangements

Secretary of State John Kerry assures Sharif of help to overcome energy shortage.

The United States is satisfied with Pakistan’s nuclear security arrangements, said US Secretary of State John Kerry here on Monday.

He was talking to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during a meeting on the sidelines of Third International Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and the scheduled withdrawal of Nato forces from Afghanistan by the end of this year.

Kerry told Sharif that the United States will continue to work with Pakistan for the elimination of terrorism. The US Secretary State also assured the Pakistani prime minister of cooperation to overcome energy crisis. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Kerry said the two countries were ‘deeply engaged.’ “We have great confidence in Pakistan’s nuclear security,” Kerry told reporters.

Kerry said the US and Pakistan are working together to root-out terrorism from the region. He said the US is also cooperating with Pakistan to overcome its energy crisis as washington wants a viable and prosperous Pakistani nation.

Kerry said Pakistan-US working group on nuclear proliferation is working and strategic dialogue between the two countries is continuing.

Sharif termed the meeting positive and constructive. He said the government is trying to resolve all issues being faced by the country. He said both the countries have been reviewing the decisions taken in the meeting between him and American President Barack Obama.

Prime Minister Sharif said: “There are so many challenges and we are trying to meet these challenges in Pakistan.”

Earlier, Sharif arrived to attend the two-day third nuclear summit being held in The Hague.

The summit is being attended by leaders from 53 countries, United Nations, European Union, International Atomic Energy Agency and Interpol.

The prime minister is accompanied by Special Assistant Syed Tariq Fatemi and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry.

At the summit, Sharif will highlight security measures taken by Pakistan to protect nuclear installations, and plans to use the technology for development purposes.

He will also call for provision of civil nuclear technology to Pakistan to help curb energy crisis.

World leaders should be free on Tuesday to discuss securing the world’s stocks of nuclear material to prevent a group like Al Qaeda acquiring a nuclear or so-called ‘dirty’ bomb of conventional explosives wrapped in radioactive material.

Nuclear security is central to Obama’s political legacy and in 2009 he called nuclear proliferation “one of the greatest threats to international security”.

The final round of NSS is planned in Washington in 2016.