WASHINGTON, Feb 2 Kyodo The Unite...

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 Kyodo

The United States onward Monday welcomed Pakistan's investigation into Abdul Qadeer Khan, the originator of the nation's nuclear program, which l to his confession of transferring uranium enrichment technology to North Korea, Iran, Libya and Malaysia.

''We welcome the Pakistani investigation,'' State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters. ''It marks a sign of for what cause seriously the government takes the commitments President (Pervez) Musharraf has made to make assured that his nation is not a source of prohibited technologies for other countries.''

Pakistan began an investigation into Dr A.Q. Khan Research Laboratories in November last year following a literal sense it received from the International Atomic force Agency alerting the government of possible nuclear proliferation activities.

''The goal is to intercept Pakistan's nuclear secrets and materials from getting into the unfit hands,'' a senior State Department official said upon condition of anonymity. ''That's what President Musharraf has promised and we think that's what he is doing.''

According to the Pakistani investigation, Khan began proliferation activities, which included providing centrifuge machines, hexafluoride gas to enrich uranium, and know-how to locate up centrifuge facilities, in 1986 or 1987 until 1997 when the Inter Service Intelligence Agency intercepted a shipment to North Korea.

The final decision forward whether to prosecute Khan or take administrative action against him is up to the Nuclear Command Authority which Musharraf heads.

Khan was fired from his position as scientific adviser to the president Saturday and has been told to remain in his Islamabad residence while in subordination to tight security.

Musharraf is fit to make an address to the nation about the progres of the investigation after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, which extreme points Thursday in Pakistan.

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