'It is very much in India's interest to know that there is a fail-safe structure in Pakistan'

Senator Kerry, you were one of the first American lawmakers to speak out against A Q Khan's nuclear bazaar, one of the first to identify the threat to Pakistan's nuclear facilities if anything happened to General Musharraf and the administration of that country passed into hostile hands. Are you satisfied that the Bush administration has done enough to protect the world from Pakistan's bombs being controlled by renegades?

I am convinced they haven't.

What does America plan to do about it?

Well, that is an executive privilege to negotiate. We in the Senate do not have the privilege to negotiate. So I raised those questions and continue to raise those questions because I think it is one of the dangerous prospects in the world.

I think it is in the interests of India, the United States and all of us to make sure that a fail-safe mechanism is in place to deal with the worst potential realities, not just with respect to Pakistan but anywhere.

They (a fail-safe mechanism) are not in place in my understanding today, and that is a risk.

During your run for the Presidency, you mentioned that India and the US need to work together on this issue. What did you mean by that?

It is essential for India to be in a partner in that. Obviously 50% -- maybe more - of the motive for India pursuing a military (nuclear) programme is the threat of Pakistan and the counter threat. To the degree we can work together to defuse that, I think, is very, very important.

It is very much in India's interest to know that there is a fail-safe structure in Pakistan.

But what if the Musharraf regime were to collapse and forces hostile to India and the US came to power?

If it were to happen and we don't obviously (want it to happen), we hope it doesn't… it is more likely that you will have the emergence of some strong arm from the military. But there is the other potential at some point and you have to guard against that.

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