Japan on Tuesday expressed the hope that India would sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) but kept the door open for civil nuclear cooperation, saying it will be an important agenda for the future.
“I express the hope that India will sign and ratify the CTBT,” Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told reporters here at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“The Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) said with regard to the CTBT (that) should US and China sign, it will create a new situation,” Hatoyama said.
“We discussed civil nuclear cooperation. This would become a very important agenda in the future,” Mr. Hatoyama said.
Dr. Manmohan Singh underlined India’s “impeccable record” in nuclear non-proliferation and pitched force the civil nuclear cooperation with Japan.
Mr. Hatoyama is on his maiden trip to India to forge a stronger security and economic partnership.
PTI adds
Failure to ink legally binding climate deal unfortunate: Japan
Japan termed as “unfortunate” the failure of the Copenhagen climate talks to deliver a legally binding agreement to tackle global warming.
“It is unfortunate that we failed to reach a legally binding agreement,” Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told reporters here when asked about the Copenhagen talks.
Hatoyama said he discussed the Copenhagen initiative and climate change issues in a bilateral meeting he had with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“With the cooperation of countries, we need to make that (Copenhagen Accord) into a legally binding agreement,” he said after the meeting with Singh.
A joint statement issued after the talks said that the two leaders welcomed the Copenhagen Accord.
Dr. Singh and Mr. Hatoyama reaffirmed their determination to work together closely in the negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and agreed outcome to be adopted at the 16th Conference of Parties next year.
Dr. Singh welcomed the announcement of the ‘Hatoyama Initiative’ under which Japan has pledged to reduce its own emissions by 25 per cent in the next decade and to work closely with developing countries on their mitigation programs.
The Copenhagen Accord, agreed to by 119 heads of state/government, is not a legally binding document and does not mention any quantitative emission targets for any country.
