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Regional route to disarmament won’t help: PM

NEW DELHI: India on Monday renewed its call for nuclear disarmament that is global, universal and non-discriminatory. Rejecting the notion of regional disarmament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the objective could not be achieved through partial methods or approaches.

“The only effective form of nuclear disarmament and elimination of nuclear weapons is global disarmament. Even today, the nuclear arsenals in the possession of the major powers are enough to destroy the world many times over. In this scenario it is not possible to ‘regionalise’ nuclear disarmament,” he said at an international conference organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies here.

India was fully aware of its responsibilities as a nuclear weapon state. It had a declared doctrine of no first-use and strict controls on export of nuclear materials and technology.

“Above all, India is fully committed to nuclear disarmament that is global, universal and non-discriminatory in nature. The pursuit of this goal will enhance not only our security but the security of all other countries,” Dr. Singh said.

It was in keeping with this approach that India recently submitted a Working Paper on Nuclear Disarmament to the United Nations General Assembly. “We hope to stimulate a debate and promote consensus on the way forward. These are a set of practical measures for working towards the goal of a nuclear weapons free world. We do not wish to exclude other measures that may contribute to achieving this goal, nor do we hold that there is a rigid hierarchy among these steps and a specific sequencing for their implementation,” he noted.

“India is ready to add its own weight and voice to the global debate on nuclear disarmament with a view to crafting such a consensus on disarmament and non-proliferation. We need a collective approach anchored in a universal partnership that is supported by non-governmental communities and public opinion.”

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