CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT CONTINUES DEBATE ON NUCLEAR TESTS IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN

Press Release
DCF/337

CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT CONTINUES DEBATE ON NUCLEAR TESTS IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 2 June (UN Information Service) -- The Conference on Disarmament this afternoon continued its debate on the nuclear tests carried out in India and Pakistan.

Ambassador Savitri Kunadi of India read out a statement by her country's Prime Minister in which he stressed that India did not intend to use its nuclear weapons for aggression or for mounting threats against any country; those were weapons of self-defence, to ensure that India was not subjected to nuclear threats or coercion. The Prime Minister also stated that India did not intend to engage in an arms race and had already announced that it would now observe a voluntary moratorium and refrain from conducting underground nuclear-test explosions. Mr. Kunadi said the logic and rationale of India's approaches had also been vindicated by Pakistan's nuclear tests.

Pakistan's Ambassador Munir Akram said his country did not instigate or initiate the present security crisis in South Asia. It was obliged by security and national considerations to respond to India's provocative nuclear tests. Pakistan took its actions with full responsibility and with full knowledge of the costs they would involve. The ambassador said he believed the sanctions and other actions taken against Pakistan were unfair and unjust and in the final analysis would be counter-productive. Pakistan was not interested in an arms race with India nor was it seeking a nuclear-weapon status. Its tests were defence-oriented and meant to restore strategic balance in the region. Pakistan was currently not planning on any further nuclear tests and wished to see an immediate reduction in tension in the region.

Representatives of Finland, Belarus, Argentina, Venezuela, Ecuador, Syria, Netherlands, Lithuania and Denmark also addressed the Conference on Disarmament, reiterating their denunciation of the nuclear tests carried out by India and Pakistan and stressing the need for the two countries to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).

Statements

MARKKU REIMAA (Finland) referred to a joint statement on 30 May by the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Argentina and Finland. In that statement, the Ministers expressed their dismay and disappointment at the news of the nuclear tests by India and Pakistan and urged them to refrain from further tests which were contrary to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. The Ministers underlined the importance of the NPT and the CTBT, and appealed to India and Pakistan to become parties to both treaties and to start a peaceful dialogue. Argentina was committed to nuclear non-proliferation.

STANISLAU AGURTSOU (Belarus) read out a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of his country which said Belarus learned with alarm and concern of the nuclear tests conducted by India and Pakistan. Those tests pushed the world on the eve of the twenty-first century to global nuclear proliferation and constituted an important factor for international instability. Belarus a few years ago had made an historic choice to renounce its nuclear potential and could not but feel a special sense of responsibility and alarm at such proliferation. It called on all countries which had not acceded to the CTBT to reconsider their position and adhere to it and to work on banning the development of production of fissile material for nuclear weapons. Recent events had focused on the possibility of a chain reaction of nuclear proliferation, not only in South Asia but beyond it. Belarus called on all countries to create a nuclear-free area in central and eastern Europe as that would consolidate safety and security on the continent.

SAVITRI KUNADI (India) read out a statement by the Prime Minister of India before Parliament on 27 May in which he said that, in 1947 when India emerged as a free country, the nuclear age had already dawned. India's leaders then took the crucial decision to opt for self-reliance and freedom of thought and action. India rejected the cold war paradigm and had chosen the more difficult path of non-alignment. Disarmament was and continued to be a major part of its foreign policy. In the 1950s, India took the lead to call for an end to nuclear-weapon testing. In the 1960s, India's security concerns deepened and it sought security guarantees but did not get them. That was why India had decided not to sign the nuclear non-proliferation Treaty. In 1974, India demonstrated its nuclear capability and successive governments had taken steps to keep its resolve. In the 1980s and 1990s, India saw deterioration of security conditions in its neighbourhood with the increase of nuclear weapons and the induction of more sophisticated delivery systems. In addition, India had also been the victim of externally aided and abetted terrorism, militancy and clandestine war.

She said the Prime Minister continued to state that India was now a nuclear-weapon State. It did not intend to use those weapons for aggression or for mounting threats against any country; those were weapons of self-defence, to ensure that India was not subjected to nuclear threats or

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coercion. India did not intend to engage in an arms race. India's nuclear policy had been marked by restraint and openness. It had not violated any international agreements in 1974 or in 1998. Its action was balanced in that it was the minimum necessary to maintain what was an irreducible component of its national security calculus. Subsequently, India had already announced that it would now observe a voluntary moratorium and refrain from conducting underground nuclear-test explosions. The ambassador said the logic and rationale of India's approaches had been vindicated by Pakistan's nuclear tests. India was committed to the maintenance of peace and security in the region. With Pakistan, it had always sought to develop a relationship of friendship and cooperation. In conclusion, she stressed that her country had consistently maintained that nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament had to be discussed in a global framework and in a comprehensive and non-discriminatory manner. Artificial delimitation and selective and compartmentalized approaches which sought to limit those issues to South Asia were defective.

JUAN CARLOS SANCHEZ ARNAU (Argentina) read out a press communiqué by his Government which noted that Argentina had expressed regret that India had carried out nuclear tests. The Pakistani nuclear tests increased the risks of a nuclear arms race which could have adverse consequences for peace and efforts for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. Argentina appealed to the friendly nations of India and Pakistan to cease their actions and to speedily ratify the NPT and the CTBT. Argentina reiterated its firm commitment to nuclear non-proliferation and non-proliferation of other weapons of mass destruction.

VICTOR RODRIGUEZ CEDENO (Venezuela) expressed his Government's support for the statement of New Zealand this morning which reflected the international community's reaction to the nuclear tests which hindered international peace and security. The Government of Venezuela had also issued a statement in which it deplored the nuclear tests carried out by Pakistan and regretted the negative effects they would have on international efforts. Venezuela had urged Pakistan to adopt necessary measures to sign the non-proliferation Treaty as its nuclear tests were unjustified. Far from strengthening regional security, those tests would lead to dangerous insecurity not only in South Asia but in the world. The Government of Pakistan and other countries which had not signed the NPT and the CTBT were urged to do so as soon as possible. The tests which had led to this meeting showed an urgent need to conclude negotiations on nuclear disarmament within the Conference on Disarmament.

LUIS GALLEGOS CHIRIBOGA (Ecuador) said his country viewed with concern the nuclear tests carried out by India and Pakistan. On the Indian nuclear tests, the Foreign Ministry of Ecuador had issued statements expressing its energetic rejection of the acts of India and Pakistan which were against nuclear non-proliferation and which increased tension in the region. Ecuador supported the policy of rejecting nuclear tests and hoped that India and Pakistan would carry out unilateral moratoriums. The statement on Pakistan had added that its tests further increased insecurity in the region and ran

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counter to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. The two Governments were invited not to continue those tests which represented enormous risks for the environment and security of mankind.

TAHER AL-HUSSAMI (Syria) said the various reactions of shock to the nuclear tests were justifiable as nuclear weapons were among the most dangerous, and the international community was trying to eradicate them, unfortunately with no success. He said that, in his first statement, he had spoken about non-proliferation, but he should have talked of prohibition of nuclear weapons, not non-proliferation. Were the nuclear-weapon States surprised by what had happened in South Asia, and would they be surprised if Israel carried out nuclear tests or used a nuclear war head to attack an Arab State? What had happened was not a surprise, since everyone had been aware of the imbalance of the nuclear non-proliferation regime since the non- proliferation Treaty had come into force. Today, Israel constituted a threat to the Arab region with that destructive weapon and refused to subject its facilities to checks by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The statement of New Zealand this morning dealt with the present situation in India, but left aside the explosive situation in the Middle East where Israel was the only nuclear Power. That was why the latest events in the Indian sub-continent needed to be a stimulus to wake up nuclear-weapon States to consider their responsibility at the international level to work actively and bring into place the necessary machinery to bring about nuclear disarmament. Syria accepted no exemption from any country whatsoever from the NPT, including Israel.

FRANK MAJOOR (Netherlands) associated his country with the statement made this morning by New Zealand. It was with deep concern that his Government learned about Pakistan's nuclear tests. Those actions, so quickly after similar ones by India, risked to have a profound effect on peace in the region and on global efforts aimed at nuclear non-proliferation. The Netherlands had frozen all direct macroeconomic aid to Pakistan, among other sanctions. Nuclear testing endangered stability in the region, and the Netherlands called on both countries to show restraint following their testing and to sign and ratify the CTBT and the NPT. It hoped there could be agreement on a common position on the elimination of nuclear weapons within the Conference on Disarmament.

The representative of Lithuania said his country was deeply concerned about the developments in the situation in South Asia. Lithuania associated itself with the statement of New Zealand this morning. In addition, it wanted to bring the attention of the Conference to a statement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs issued on 29 May in which he regretted the serious underground nuclear tests conducted by Pakistan ad India. The Minister called on both countries to refrain from statements and actions which could complicate the situation and increase tension in the region. They should also immediately announce a moratorium on nuclear testing and sign the NPT and the CTBT.

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The representative of Denmark said his country was associated with the statement of New Zealand read out this morning. The Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs also issued a statement on 28 May in which he said Pakistan's nuclear tests constituted a development that caused utmost concern. He strongly urged both Pakistan and India to refrain from beginning a nuclear arms race in the region and to show utmost restraint. Through its action, Pakistan, along with India, carried a heavy responsibility for endangering the disarmament agreements in the nuclear field. The two countries were most strongly called on to become parties to the NPT and the CTBT.

MUNIR AKRAM (Pakistan) said his country had been trying for many years to draw the attention of the international community and the Conference on Disarmament to the dangers of conflict, including the nuclear threat, emanating from India. Pakistan did not instigate or initiate the present security crisis in South Asia. It was obliged by security and national considerations to respond to India's provocative nuclear tests. India's nuclear tests were followed with provocative statements and threats against Pakistan which culminated in reports of a planned pre-emptive strike against Pakistan's sensitive facilities. Others might discount those reports, but Pakistan, which had been subjected to Indian attacks on three occasions, could not afford to do so. The nuclear proliferation crisis in South Asia had been transformed into a major security crisis which the international community must deal with. Pakistan took its actions with full responsibility and with full knowledge of the costs they would involve. Its decision became virtually inevitable because of the steady provocations and threats emanating from India; because of the weak and partial response of the world community to India's threats and threats; and because Pakistan could not leave India in any doubt about the credibility of its capability to deter and respond to any aggression against the country.

He said he believed the sanctions and other actions taken against Pakistan were unfair and unjust, and, in the final analysis, would be counter-productive. The security crisis in South Asia must be dealt with in a comprehensive way, and there were at least four aspects which needed to be addressed: measures to avoid a conflict and ease current tensions; steps to promote nuclear stabilization in South Asia; the dangers posed by the imbalance in conventional arms between India and Pakistan; and the need for a resolution of the underlying disputes, especially Kashmir, which was at the root of the confrontation between India and Pakistan. Pakistan was not interested in an arms race with India nor was Pakistan seeking a nuclear- weapon status. Its tests were defence-oriented and meant to restore strategic balance in the region. Pakistan was currently not planning on any further nuclear tests and wished to see an immediate reduction in tension in the region. It would continue to show restraint in the field of weaponization and its response would be carefully calibrated to the provocation. As regards to the nuclear issue, Pakistan was willing to participate in and contribute to

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international endeavours to achieve such stabilization to establish what may be called as a "nuclear restraint regime in South Asia".

Finally, he said it must be acknowledged that the danger of conflict between Pakistan and India aroused from the underlying dispute over Jammu and Kashmir. It was time the international community took collective action to try and implement the Security Council resolutions on Kashmir. The Conference on Disarmament must also play its role in promoting peace and security in South Asia by reaching important agreements for genuine movement towards nuclear disarmament. It could also contribute more directly to discussions on the situation in South Asia and try and promote a concept for regional peace and stability which could be guaranteed or could be evolved within the framework of a global security situation.

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