The Hindu : Front Page : Manmohan not for coercive methods against Iran

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 26, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Manmohan not for coercive methods against Iran

N. Ram

Tashkent: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reiterated the Indian Government's stand on the Iranian nuclear issue that "maximum possible scope should be given to dialogue, discussion, rather than to coercive methods."

He told The Hindu, in response to a question, on board the special Air India flight taking us from Berlin to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, that he found large-scale support, including in Germany, for such a view.

Asked for an update on how he saw the situation developing on the Iranian nuclear issue, Dr. Singh told me:

"I don't know the stage of negotiations between the P-5 and Iran but I do know where we stand. And our stand is that Iran is a signatory to the NPT [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty]; and as a signatory to the NPT, it must have all the rights for the peaceful uses of atomic energy. And simultaneously, it must honour all the obligations that go with being a member of the NPT regime.

"I recognise some problems have arisen in recent years about certain aspects of the Iranian nuclear programme, which have raised doubts. But I do believe that, by and large, there is support, large-scale support for the view that [on this issue] maximum possible scope should be given to dialogue, discussion, rather than to coercive methods.

"We have a long civilisational relationship with Iran. We want to strengthen our relationship. And our influence is to ensure that this problem is resolved to mutual satisfaction through dialogue and discussion."

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