Monday, April 17, 2006
India rejects US proposal banning nuke tests http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1677125,001301790001.htm
Press Trust of India
New Delhi, April 17, 2006
India on Monday rejected US proposal for a cap on its nuclear testing saying such a provision has no place in a proposed bilateral agreement.
New Delhi, however, made it clear that it was committed to the unilateral moratorium on further tests.
A draft agreement sent by the US stipulated several elements, one of which said cooperation will be discontinued if India were to detonate a nuclear explosive device.
"In preliminary discussions on these elements, India has already conveyed to the US that such a provision has no place in the proposed bilateral agreement and that India is bound only by what is contained in the July 18 Joint Statement, that is, continuing its commitment to a unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters when asked about the American proposal.
"The US had shared with India some weeks ago a preliminary draft agreement on Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation under Article 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act," he said.
India's position on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is well-known and continues to remain valid. New Delhi maintains that it will sign the treaty only if it is universal with all countries dismantling their nuclear arsenal.
© HT Media Ltd. 2006.