CTBT: US applies higher standards on India, when it comes to CTBT, NNPT etc.
Hello, Hello Washington, Can you hear me: Can you guarantee a nuclear umbrella that you have given to Japan. Hello, Are you there? I can't hear you. Speak louder. Say Sir, How do we deal with our Nuclear-armed China. Can't hear you, Can you speak a little louder. I said China, You know China, the land of the Pandas. Hello , Can't hear you.
rediff.com
US links Clinton visit to non-proliferation dialogue
C K Arora in Washington
The United States is sticking to its tough postures towards India on the
nuclear issue, saying 'while we continue to believe that India is better off
without nuclear weapons, we recognise that India feels it needs such
capability.'
'The tone and content of my trip and President Clinton's next year hinge
on the progress we make in our security and non-proliferation dialogue,'
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, who will visit New Delhi and Varanasi
between October 26 and 28, told a press conference yesterday.
When an Indian journalist sought to interpret his statement as the
realisation on the part of the United States 'that India needs nuclear
weapons,' Richardson disagreed with him and read out from his prepared
statement which laid emphasis on 'what India feels' on the issue.
Richardson said the United States was discussing a number of concrete,
near-term steps India could take to address American security concerns
'and, in our view, that would be in India's national security interests.'
These include: adherence to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty;
constructive engagement on the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty;
participation in a multilateral moratorium on fissile material production for
weapons, pending conclusion of a cut-off treaty; restraint in missile
development, including non-deployment; and strengthened controls over
the export of nuclear material.
'Although we have heard India's intentions with respect to several of these
steps,' he pointed out, 'we have been disappointed frankly at the lack of
concrete action to achieve them.'
Richardson, however, said: 'We are encouraged that India plans to
proceed with efforts to build a consensus for the test ban treaty, despite
the failure of the US Senate to ratify it.'
Asked about the possibility of US supplying nuclear power plants to India,
he said: 'We don't know. Nobody's asked us on this. This is not on the
agenda.'
Turning to his India visit, he, however, said: 'We are going to discuss with
the Indian government a number of energy co-operation ventures. We
hope to conclude some agreements in several areas. I suspect there will be
some discussions on nuclear power development.'
'I will be, I think, the first cabinet member to go to India before the
president's potential visit. The elections have just taken place. This is a
positive visit. This is a visit that underscores the importance of the
American-Indian relationship,' he added.
The secretary said: 'I want to see increased scientific cooperation. We
have some restrictions that Congress has imposed on us, but I think they
are sufficiently flexible so that we can have vigorous American-foreign
scientific cooperation. And my hope is to expand on the scientific
cooperation between the United States and India,' he added. |
