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Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, in remarks aired Friday as Pakistan conducted a test of a nuclear-capable missile, said he was prepared to reduce his nuclear arsenal if India did the same. "We don't have any worldwide military ambitions. We maintain a force for deterrence ... If there is a discussion or a deliberation (with India) on mutual reduction, we have been saying let's make South Asia a nuclear-free zone," he told Al-Arabiya news channel. "If mutually there is an agreement of reduction of nuclear assets, Pakistan would be willing," Musharraf said. The ballistic missile Hatf V, which can can carry nuclear warheads deep inside Indian territory with its range of 1,500 kilometers (930 miles), was successfully test-fired early Friday, the Pakistani military said. It was the second test of a nuclear-capable missile since India's new government took power a fortnight ago. Pakistan and the new Indian government have vowed to carry forward a 14-month old peace process initiated by India's outgoing premier, Atal Behari Vajpayee. Experts will meet in New Delhi on June 19-20 for talks on nuclear confidence building measures (CBMs). Foreign secretaries will then meet on June 27-28, also in New Delhi, to discuss the Kashmir dispute and security issues. Commenting on the idea floated by India this week of a tripartite discussion among Islamabad, New Delhi and Beijing to evolve a common nuclear doctrine, Musharraf said these were "very serious issues" which require a lot of analysis and deliberation. "When we are talking of nuclear CBMs between India and Pakistan, that itself is a difficult job. Now getting China involved, it involves many nuances which one has to consider," he told Dubai-based Al-Arabiya. Musharraf said that while Indian-Israeli military cooperation was a matter of concern, he did not see Israel as a threat to Pakistan. "Israel is very far away from us geographically, and under the present circumstances we don't see a threat emanating from Israel," he said. "We do show concerns when Israel collaborates with India ... But if you are talking of (an) immediate threat coming from Israel, no, that is not in the immediate context," the Pakistani leader added. All rights reserved. Copyright 2003 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse. Quick Links
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