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dated April 20, 1957: Nehru's poser to jurists

Whether any nation had a right in international law or moral law to poison the earth's atmosphere through test explosions of nuclear weapons, was the question posed to jurists of Asia by Prime Minister Nehru on April 18. Inaugurating in New Delhi the first session of the Asian Legal Consultative Committee on which are represented Japan, India, Burma, Ceylon, Indonesia, Iraq and Syria, Mr. Nehru suggested to the jurists that they could usefully consider whether the modern versions of the old "Holy Alliance" and concepts of the cold war were in keeping with international law whose purpose, after all, should be to settle problems and disputes by methods other than war. The Prime Minister reiterated his conviction that only through Panch Shila could the nations of the world establish healthy international relationships. International law had so far developed, he emphasised, against the background of the old concept of a European family of nations which had in the last century or two dominated Asia and Africa. Therefore, it had really not had an international character. Now that many countries of Asia and Africa had become free, that concept of international law needed to be changed or made broader.

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