Pakistan’s Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, who sold nuclear technology around the world, has told his interrogators that during a trip to N Korea five years ago he was taken to an underground nuclear plant and shown what he described as three nuclear devices, according to Asian and US officials who have been briefed by the Pakistanis.If Khan’s report is true, this would mark the first time any foreigner has reported seeing N Korean nuclear devices. Khan, known as the father of the Pakistani bomb, said he was allowed to inspect the weapons, according to the account that Pakistan has begun to provide. White House officials declined to discuss the intelligence reports, saying through a spokesman that the subject was ‘‘too sensitive’’. But Vice-President Dick Cheney was briefed on Khan’s assertions, and he is expected to cite the intelligence to China’s leaders on Tuesday to press the point that negotiations over disarming N Korea are going too slowly. In fact, it was the description of N Korea’s facilities that Secretary of State Colin L. Powell told President Musharraf that the US needs most urgently, during his recent visit to Pakistan.Khan said the secret facility was different from the main North Korean nuclear facility at Yongbyon. Khan said these appeared to be full weapons. However, it is unclear if he would have the expertise to know the difference between an actual weapon or a mock-up. But he may have been familiar with the basic design: He was present at the test site in 1998 when Pakistan tested four weapons.
