Washington, June 2: A senior US official has denied a Newsweek report that an Indian scientist was expelled from a laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for espionage. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," programme said, "It (the Indian scientist's expulsion) doesn't have anything to do with espionage." He said when "India detonated their nuclear weapon, sanctions from U.S. legislation were triggered and the United States was forced to expel scientists."Newsweek, in its latest issue, alleged that "...last year Los Alamos (Laboratories) expelled an Indian scientist when it was discovered that he had ties to India's nuclear-bomb programme." Richardson said this particular scientist "was doing unclassified work at Los Alamos. He had a connection with a nuclear institute in India that caused concern." "So the lab under Deputy Secretary Betsy Moeller," he explained, "determined that he should be expelled. One or two others were also expelled from some of ourscience labs."
"But it was not because of espionage," Richardson reiterated. "It was because India took the negative step in detonating that weapon last year."
The news magazine did not report the scientist's name or reveal its sources for the man's removal from Los Alamos or characterise his relationship with India's programme.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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