Moscow: Russia has said that proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear black market, especially Pakistan's, would be one of the issues to be discussed next week at the third session of Russian-Pakistani joint working group on anti-terror combat.

"Pakistani nuclear proliferation has to be viewed from the perspective of new global threats and challenges and this issue will certainly figure in the talks," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Anatoly Safonov said, referring to the recently unearthed nuclear technology-trading network of A Q Khan.

Safonov, Russia's pointman on combating new global threats, who also co-chairs US-Russian sub-group on weapons of mass destruction, is reaching Islamabad on Sunday (Feb 22, 2004) for the bilateral talks.

He indicated that Moscow and Washington had been exchanging notes on the illegal nuclear proliferation from Pakistani soil and possibility of nuclear technology falling into terrorist hands.

The Russian Minister is taking a high-level inter-departmental delegation to Pakistan to discuss a wide range of issues including the fight against terror outfits on Pakistani soil, al-Qaeda and remnants of Taliban, financing of terrorists, narcotic trade, and overall situation in Afghanistan.

Moscow and Islamabad have been able to narrow "to some extent", their differences on the issue of terrorism, especially after President Pervez Musharraf's Russia visit and talks with President Vladimir Putin in February 2003, Safonov said.

"However, we cannot be fully satisfied as long as people in Russia and in that region are still being killed in terror acts," he said.

Safonov, however, believes that Musharraf is beginning to take some concrete steps to root out Pak-based terror network.

"There were two bids on Musharraf's life in less than a month, this is an indication that some action is being taken by him on the ground," he said.

Islamic terrorism was the most dangerous threat faced by the world community, including Islamic countries like Pakistan, he said adding that the problem of terrorism has its roots in poverty and lack of education.