Nirupam Sen, India's Permanent Representative to the U.N., signs the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday. Barbara Masciangelo, Acting Director, U.N. Treaty Section, looks on. — Photo: PTI

NEW DELHI: India signed the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Monday, a statement from the External Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday.

The Convention, initially proposed by the Russian Federation, was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on April 13, 2005 by a consensus resolution and opened for signature at the U.N. headquarters from September 14, 2005.

"The Convention is the first anti-terrorism convention adopted since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The Convention requires states to make punishable as serious offences under their domestic law, terrorist acts involving the use of nuclear materials. States are also required to cooperate in the prevention, investigation and prosecution of these offences through information sharing, extradition and mutual legal assistance," the statement said. "India is already a party to the other 12 international terrorism conventions and protocols and attaches high priority to the formulation of international legal instruments to combat terrorism. Terrorism presents the most serious threat to peace and security.

India has always emphasised that the international community must adopt an approach of zero-tolerance for terrorism anywhere and be ready to undertake all necessary measures to bring to justice the perpetrators, organisers, sponsors of these and other terrorist acts and those who incite terrorists to commit them," it stated.

India, the statement added, shared the objective of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, which demonstrated the resolve of the international community to deny terrorists access to nuclear materials and enhanced international cooperation between states in devising and adopting practical measures for prevention of acts of nuclear terrorism and for the prosecution and punishment of their perpetrators.

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