TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2002
India can build ICBMs: CIA
PTI
WASHINGTON: A top intelligence analyst of the United States has said that though India is capable of building inter-continental ballistic missiles, US does not view it as a threat taking into account New Delhi's "intent".
Presenting a statement before the Senate Subcommittee considering foreign missile developments, Robert Walpole, intelligence officer, Strategic and Nuclear Programmes of the Central Intelligence Agency said three other countries - Iran, North Korea and Iraq - are likely to build ICBMs and could pose a threat to the US.
He said that any country which is capable of launching a satellite could built an ICBM as the adaptation required is not much.
Walpole, who earlier submitted the report to the Congress, said that India believes a nuclear-capable missile delivery option is necessary to deter Pakistan from using the nuclear weapons first.
It would also serve as a hedge against a confrontation with China, he said.
"New Delhi views the development, not just the possession, of nuclear-capable missiles as symbols of world power and an important component of self-reliance", Walpole said.
Senator Pete Dominici said that the CIA official's report explains why the US is making an issue of the efforts by Iran, Iraq and North Korea to acquire nuclear weapons.
Walpole revealed that regarding Pakistan, the intelligence was asked to assess the safety and security of Islamabad's nuclear command and control.
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