GENEVA: Pakistan said recently, India’s declaration that it could not sign a nuclear test ban pact in its present form “could spell the death knell of the ‘treaty.” Munir Akram, Pakistan’s ambassador to treaty talks, also sharply Criticized the current draft, supporting India in saying it did not go far enough towards promoting nuclear disarmament and left loopholes for the major nuclear powers. But Akram, in a speech, diplomats termed “tactical.
Stopped short of saying Pakistan would not Sign the Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas told the Disarmament Conference that an end to nuclear testing would be an essential step toward preventing the qualitative improvement of existing nuclear weapons and the development of new ones. Jaap Ramaker, the Dutch ambassador who chairs the 61 member state negotiations, presented a revised draft treaty recently, saying he hoped it would form the basis of an agreement.
We are close 19. Concluding the text of a treaty, unfortunately, it is not the CTBT we had sought for so long,” Akram said. “The Pakistan delegation 4S prepared 16 work around the clock to conclude our negotiations by the June28 deadline,” headed Akram called on the Disarmament Conference to find “constructive compromises” so the CTBT can be concluded on time.
Diplomats expressed fear that solutions will not be found by the deadline to major stumbling blocks such as the treaty’s entry into force provisions and Onsite inspections regime. India’s ambassador Arundhati Ghose informed senior delegates that if her country docs not sign, it would not allow a seismic monitoring station to operate in southern India. India recently said it opposed the draft text for not containing a pledge to totally eliminate nuclear weapons within 10 years and because its entry into force would depend on ratification by the five declared nuclear weapon states and three “threshold” states — India, Pakistan and Israel. “Akram said: “If this decision is not reversed, it could spell the death knell of the treaty. This is no exaggeration. Pakistan’s envoy said for the treaty fictive and comprehensive, it must remove the possibility of nuclear allusions being conducted by all states with the capability. “There are eight such sates — the five nuclear powers and the three so-called thresholds” states,” Akram said. “To those who live in the ‘real world’, it is ‘Clear thief one of these states is out of the treaty, all of them will be out.” However, diplomats said that time was running out to find a way around conditions laid down by Pakistan, backed by Britain, China, and Russia for ‘the global pact to become international law. Some diplomats characterized Akram’s speech as “tactical.” “He was having a field day,” said one ‘diplomat who asked not to be identified. “It is a win win situation for Pakistan.
Richard Star, Australia’s disarmament ambassador, said: “Unfortunately, the (CTBT) negotiation has got caught up in the rivalries between India and Pakistan…
Article extracted from this publication >> July 3, 1996
