Total nuclear disarmament is the aim: Pranab

By P.S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE: "The test of pudding is in [the] eating." This was External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's response to a question whether he felt confident that the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) would amend its guidelines in favour of India for its civil nuclear energy programmes.

Mr. Mukherjee told The Hindu here on Tuesday that "it is not a question of doing enough or not doing enough" to woo the members of the NSG.

He was on his way back home from Australia, an NSG member-country, where this nuclear issue figured in his discussions with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and other leaders.

On the issue of whether the Manmohan Singh government had mobilised sufficient international support before pressing for domestic political backing for India's civil nuclear energy deal, Mr. Mukherjee said: "Unless we reach that [international] stage ... The 123 Agreement has been signed.

The text has been agreed and initialled. But, the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency's] India-specific safeguards agreements, amendment of the NSG guidelines, and the further ratification are yet to be done."

About the crucial meeting, scheduled to take place in New Delhi on Wednesday on the issue of Left parties' stand on the "operationalisation" of the 123 Agreement, he said he could not be expected to make any comment right now.

On the nuclear issue as it figured in his talks with Australian leaders, Mr. Mukherjee said: "Prime Minister [Rudd] explained his scheme of a nuclear-weapons-free world. And, it was a happy coincidence that 20 years ago Rajiv Gandhi gave his plan for creating a nuclear-weapons-free world. But, to us [Indians], mere disarmament is not the ultimate objective.

The ultimate objective is, as Rajiv Gandhi pointed out in his Action Plan: over a specific timeframe, there must be the elimination of all nuclear weapons and a prevention of both horizontal and vertical proliferations. And, these obligations lie particularly with the nuclear-weapon states."

Mr. Rudd was also briefed that India's 1998 nuclear tests had not diluted its commitment to total nuclear disarmament.

"Voluntarily, we accepted a moratorium on further [nuclear] tests, [and] no first-use and no-use against non-nuclear-weapon states [as principles]. And, before the international community made noise, we announced these immediately after the second Pokhran test.

Keeping all these in view, I do feel that we should try to create a world which will be free of nuclear weapons." The world should also be free of clandestine proliferation groups such as the A.Q. Khan network.

Asked whether Mr. Rudd had suggested that India join his proposed non-proliferation and disarmament commission, either as a member or co-chair, Mr. Mukherjee said: "No. It was not offered as such. This is an idea which is unfolding itself. First, it should be non-official. He explained his idea. We also made a general response. But, who will be co-chair, who will not be: we have not reached that stage."

On India's response to Mr. Rudd's proposal of a new Asia Pacific Community, Mr. Mukherjee said: "We are watching with interest, and ... we are interested. A mere proliferation of organisations is not the answer. But it's a good idea. We are not averse to it."

- The Hindu