The Hindu : Front Page : Commission asks India, Pakistan to ratify CTBT

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 03, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Commission asks India, Pakistan to ratify CTBT

Independent panel seeks end to threat posed by WMD

United Nations: An independent commission seeking to end the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction has recommended that all nuclear weapon states, including India, Pakistan, United States and China, ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which prohibits all nuclear weapon testing.

Headed by the former U.N. chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, the panel wants New Delhi and Islamabad to join the states that have declared a moratorium on production of fissile material pending a treaty and increase transparency in the nuclear and missile activities.

"The reality is that if the U.S. were to ratify [the CTBT], then China would. If China did, India would. If India did, Pakistan would. If Pakistan did, then Iran would. It would set in motion a good domino effect," Mr.Blix told a news conference when he released the report on Wednesday.

In the recommendations, the panel suggested that both Iran and Israel commit themselves against enriching uranium under international safeguards as part of a wider effort to establish a mass destruction weapon free zone in West Asia.

``As confidence building measures, all states in the region [(Middle East)], including Iran and Israel, should for a prolonged period of time commit themselves to a verified arrangements not to have any enrichment, reprocessing or their sensitive fuel-cycle activities on their territories,'' said the Commission. — PTI

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