Myanmar not wealthy enough for nukes: state media
June 6 - 12, 2011
YANGON – Myanmar is not wealthy enough to acquire nuclear weapons, a top government official told visiting US Senator John McCain, who called on June 3 for an end to any military ties with North Korea.
“Myanmar is [in] no position to take account of nuclear weapons and does not have enough economic strength to do so,” state media quoted Vice President Thiha Thura U Tin Aung Myint Oo as telling McCain in talks in the capital Nay Pyi Taw on June 2.
He said Myanmar was abiding by UN resolutions and has halted a peaceful nuclear research programme supported by Russia because the world “may misunderstand”, according to the state-run New Light of Myanmar.
McCain was in Myanmar to assess the new political landscape after the military handed power to a civilian government in late March.
“The new government must abide by its international obligations to uphold United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding non-proliferation, and to cease any military cooperation with the government of North Korea, as required by international law,” he said on June 3, at the end of the three-day visit. – AFP