NEW DELHI: India is determined to block the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) if nuclear powers press ahead with the current draft at the disarmament negotiations which resumed in Geneva July- 30th. “This treaty is defectively and we will block it unless the Conference on Disarmament agrees to re-negotiate the existing draft, We will make our unambiguous dissent clear in a manner that makes it evident that there is no consensus be- hind this text,’ according to a top External Affairs Ministry official.
The first round of the Conference on Disarmament (COD) ended with India’s objections on global disarmament and its national security concerns being ignored altogether. the nuclear weapons powers, Or the P-5, have sought to Tope India in through an Entry into Force (EIF) provision, which makes it compulsory for India to sign the treaty for it to become effective While India’s had been the lone voice opposing the draft treaty presented by Conference Chairman Jaap Raamaker, the Conference has resumed with a plethora of dissenting voices, sources in the external affairs ministry said. China has raised objections to the verification regime and on-site inspections being pushed through by the US through the National Technical Means (NIM) mechanism. NTM is a euphemism for American spy satellite. one of the key areas where Chinese would find it very difficult to accept the draft treaty. Beijing is determined to make a bid to improve the text,” the sources said.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 31, 1996
