US not to push India sign global nuclear treaties

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Apr 8 (PTI) Appreciating its "responsible"
behaviour, the US has said it will not push India to sign the
NPT and the CTBT "for quite some time", but sought New Delhi's
cooperation to strengthen the global non-proliferation regime.
Robert J Einhorn, Special US Advisor on Non
Proliferation and Arms Control, said the Obama administration
"appreciates and understands" India’s principled opposition to
the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) treaty.
"It's a long-standing attitude, it's a position of
principle. What's especially important to us is that India
behave in a responsible manner. And it has behaved in a
responsible manner," he said.
"India's not going to join the NPT for quite some
time, if at all. We understand that. But we want India to work
with us in strengthening the nonproliferation regime," Einhorn
told journalists Wednesday.
India has refused to ink the NPT and CTBT saying they
were "discriminatory" as it differentiates between the "have
and the have-nots".
The top US official made it clear that the White House
would not push India to sign Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
(CTBT) until it is ratified by the Senate.
"Once we have ratified (CTBT), we'll be in discussions
with India about how to bring this important treaty into
force," he underlined.
"US and India have increasingly become partners in
this area of dealing with the global proliferation threat,
with the threat of nuclear terrorism," Einhorn said.
In terms of the CTBT, the administration will press
hard for Senate ratification of the treaty, and "then we will
work with other countries to bring it into force".
"Bringing it into force means that the US and India
and Pakistan and China and a number of other countries must
ratify it. And we will be in discussions with India (once it
is ratified by the Senate)," Einhorn said.
Einhorn said countries that have not joined the NPT,
and countries like China, which have joined the NPT, "we call
on all countries, whether they've chosen to join the NPT or
not, to work together to limit, to prevent, the threat of
further nuclear proliferation".
James N Miller, Principal Deputy Secretary of Defence
Policy, underlined the need to ensure that the regime does not
unravel.
"Whether you're an NPT party or not, there's a common
interest in ensuring that this regime does not unravel," he
said. Miller said the nuclear non-proliferation regime is
under considerable threat these days, especially because of
the noncompliance of North Korea and Iran. PTI LKJ
MRD