ISLAMABAD, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistani government denied Monday a story in The New York Times that the U.S. government has spent a huge amount of money to secretly aid Pakistan in securing nuclear weapons.

    "The story entitled 'U.S. Secretly Aids Pakistan in Guarding Nuclear Arms' gives a distorted and exaggerated picture of our efforts to learn from the best practices of other countries with regard to their nuclear safety and export controls," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

    The story published Sunday by the U.S. newspaper claimed the U.S. government has, over the past six years, spent almost 100 million U.S. dollars on a highly classified program to help Pakistan secure its nuclear weapons.

    "The aid, buried in secret portions of the federal budget, paid for the training of Pakistani personnel in the United States and the construction of a nuclear security-training center in Pakistan," the report said.

    The Foreign Ministry spokesman said it was in everyone's interest to ensure that the best possible procedures in nuclear security are in place.

    "Pakistan and the United States have been engaged in mutually agreeable cooperation, which is essentially in the nature of rudimentary training and ideas to strength security and surveillance," he said, adding that Pakistan, as a responsible nuclear power, has always attached great significance to the security of its strategic assets.

    The assets "are completely safe and secure under multi-layered security and Command and Control structures that are fully indigenous," he said.

    Pakistani authorities, during briefings to the media and parliament, have discussed this matter and there is nothing sensational about the cooperation, as the New York Times story appeared to imply, the spokesman said.