Friday, February 18 2005 09:42 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Pakistan is trying to cooperate with the United States to pass on the information on nuclear proliferation they get from disgraced scientist A Q Khan, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said.

"I think we continue to work on it and the Pakistanis are trying to cooperate. So we are able to put the (nuclear proliferation) network out of business. We are working with the Pakistanis on further information," Rice told the House International Relations Committee at a hearing in Washington yesterday (Feb 17, 2005).

When Congressman Robert Menendez wanted to know why the US was not pressing the Pakistanis for direct access to Khan since without direct access, the information America was getting on the scientist was "filtered", she said, "We are working with the Pakistanis on getting information - most important information."

"We are working very actively with other countries to make sure that the network is destroyed," Rice said.

Khan, Menendez pointed out, has the most accurate in formation about what he sold and what he did not sell. To North Koreans, for instance, he sold the bomb design, as he did to the Libyans.

When Committee members cautioned Rice to go slow on preaching democracy to one and all, she said, "If the President of the United States does not speak up for democracy, no one else will."