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Indian pressure makes NAM revise nuclear stand

Buckling under pressure from member nations including India, the Non-Aligned Movement reversed its position from the draft resolution, on the recent nuclear tests conducted by India and Pakistan triggering of an arms race in South Asian region, calling upon both the countries to exercise restraint, discontinue further nuclear tests and not transfer their weapons to other countries.

The declaration to be adopted at the 12th NAM summit also pressed for immediate convening of the Conference on Disarmament and stressed the need by all nuclear-weapons states to adhere to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

The sensitive nuclear issue, which sparked off intense discussions, virtually holding up the finalisation of the document, saw South Africa and Indonesia insisting on a tough stance on the nuclear issue.

The original draft, which called upon India not to weaponise and go for the missile programme, was rejected outright by New Delhi in the sub-committee on nuclear affairs headed by Iran.

The original formulation, which was dropped, expressed deep concern at the re-emergence of a nuclear arms race and called upon all states which have the capability to produce nuclear weapons to refrain from weaponising this capability and to desist from placing them on a delivery system.

The modified draft to be adopted at the summit also stressed the position of the non-aligned countries against unilateral, coercive or discriminatory measures which have been applied against them.

The reference was obviously to the wide-ranging economic sanctions slapped on India and Pakistan after they conducted the nuclear tests last May.

It also reiterated the need for bilateral dialogue to secure a peaceful solution to all outstanding issues and promotion of confidence and security building measures and mutual trust.

NAM also called for an international conference, preferably next year, with the objective of arriving at an agreement on a phased programme for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons within a specified framework to eliminate all nuclear weapons, to prohibit their development, production, acquisition, testing stockpiling, transfer, use, threat of use and provide for their destruction.

Asked whether India proposed to sign the CTBT, a top governmental official said the country was engaged in discussions with the key interlocutors, apparently referring to a series of discussions the prime minister's emissary Jaswant Singh had with US deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott.

UNI

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