U.S. plays down new report on N. Korea-Pakistan nuke ties

(ATTN: UPDATES with comments on inter-Korean ties, nuke talks in last 4 paras) By Lee Chi-dong WASHINGTON, July 7 (Yonhap) -- Following a fresh news report of alleged nuclear cooperation between North Korea and Pakistan, senior U.S. officials tried Thursday to downplay the diplomatic impact on already shaky relations with Islamabad. "I don't have anything to say beyond the fact that we take, obviously, North Korea's nuclear program, you know, very seriously," White House press secretary Jay Carney said, when asked about a Washington Post report. In a front-page article earlier in the day, the newspaper carried a claim by A.K. Khan, the founder of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, that the North Korean regime paid US$3 million in bribes to Pakistani military officials for sensitive nuclear technology in the late 1990s. Khan has been long suspected of having provided Pyongyang with nuclear know-how, including a program to produce highly enriched uranium. But the Post report indicates the involvement of Pakistani authorities in the black-market trade of nuclear arms technology. The White House official stressed the importance of Washington's alliance, albeit "complicated," with Islamabad amid a war on terrorism. "I think I've said on many occasions that our relationship with Pakistan is complicated," he said. "We don't always agree. It is not always perfect, but it is significant and important." Pakistan is a key partner in the U.S. fight against al-Qaida. But their relations have apparently been strained recently. Some Pakistani regions bordering Afghanistan reportedly remain safe havens for terrorists. Pakistanis are split over ties with Washington. And some U.S. officials question Pakistan's willingness to fight together against local terrorist groups. Pakistan is, in particular, angry that it was not notified in advance about the May 2 hunt-down of Osama bin Laden, the long-time fugitive leader of al-Qaida. Pointing out Pakistan's role in a drawn-out campaign to defeat the terrorist group, Carney said, "So that's why we continue to work on that relationship." The State Department also played down North Korea's acquisition of nuclear skills as related with Khan's personal organization. "Let me start by saying this is not a new story," department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a separate press briefing. "From the time that A.Q. Khan was first busted, we started expressing our deep concern about connections between his organization and North Korea and the role there in illicit proliferation activities." She refused to answer a question on whether the U.S. has any evidence on the alleged involvement of senior Pakistani officials, saying it is a matter of intelligence evaluation. "We've been engaged intensively with Pakistanis at all levels to ensure that Pakistan is taking as many steps as it can to stop proliferation, working with them on these issues. So those dialogues continue," she added. On a U.S. strategy on North Korea, Nuland reiterated Washington's position that the two Koreas need to first address Seoul's demand that Pyongyang apologize for two deadly attacks in 2010. "We think that both sides have some work to do and we want to see that work done and we want to move forward," she said. She disputed the view that U.S. officials are sitting back, only watching how the two Koreas do. "Our diplomacy has been very active. We're interested in making some progress, but it's hard diplomacy," the spokeswoman said.