N-deal: India allays NSG`s proliferation fears

Zeenews Bureau New Delhi, Sept 05:

India on Friday issued suo moto statement to allay NSG fears. “India is committed to concluding the Fissile Material Cut off Treaty (FMCT),” External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said. The statement of New Delhi came as the NSG meeting for a waiver to India for nuclear commerce underway in Vienna. He assured the world community that India will not be a source of proliferation of sensitive technologies, including enrichment and reprocessing transfers. Mukherjee noted that New Delhi remained committed to a voluntary, unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing. "We do not subscribe to any arms race, including nuclear arms race. We have always tempered the exercise of our strategic autonomy with a sense of global responsibility. We affirm our policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons". "We stand for the strengthening of the non-proliferation regime...," Mukherjee said. Mukherjee's remarks come in the backdrop of some members of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) expressing concern over giving India a waiver for conducting nuclear trade. Assuring the international community about working for a non-proliferation regime, the Minister said New Delhi is "interested in participating as a supplier nation, particularly for Thorium-based fuel and in establishment of international fuel banks, which also benefit India." US expects India to stick to moratorium on nuclear tests Meanwhile, the United States has made it clear it expects India to adhere to its unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing, but would not spell out whether it would cut off supplies in the event of India doing so. "I think, certainly, India's obligations under the ... 123 agreement are very clear and that the Indians have agreed to a moratorium on testing. And we expect that they will adhere to that commitment," State Department Deputy Spokesman Robert Wood told reporters on Thursday. Asked if this response to the question whether a nuclear weapons test by India would trigger a suspension of supplies and technology from the US and other countries under the India-US nuclear deal did not indicate some ambiguity, he said: "What I'd encourage you to do is to read the agreement."

Your comment(s) on this article

Should India commit itself to a unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing when such moratorium is not applicable to Pakistan and China? - K.Venugopal - Mumbai