Australia blocks shipment of scientific equipment to Pakistan

SYDNEY - Australian Defence Minister John Faulkner has blocked a shipment of scientific equipment to Pakistan, fearing it could be destined for a weapons of mass destruction programme, a media report Tuesday said.

The $115,000 shipment of two atomic absorption spectrophotometers, used for determining the concentration of a particular metal element in a sample, is the fourth to be blocked by the minister, demonstrating his willingness to scuttle Australian business deals if it will help the government meet its international obligations, The Australian newspaper said.

It said the company that manufactures the equipment had not been able to convince the government that it could not be used to analyse metals used for making centrifuges and missiles.

Faulkner said he formed the view, based on advice from his department and other agencies that there were “unacceptable risks”.

“I am conscious of the commercial effects on the Australian company, and the company has been consulted during the process to enable it to have its interests taken fully into account,” the minister was quoted as saying.

I want to make clear, there is no suggestion of wrongdoing by the Australian company,” he added.

Suspect goods, or goods being sent to suspect nations, are normally dealt with under the Customs Act. However, Faulkner cited the Weapons of Mass Destruction (Prevention of Proliferation) Act to block the shipment to Pakistan, the newspaper said.

The act, used to block exports that would not otherwise have been red-flagged, was used only once in its first 14 years of operation, but Faulkner cited it three times last year to stop goods from reaching Iran.