NUCLEAR-PM 2

"We welcome the fact that the world is veering around to
our view that the best guarantor of nuclear security is a
world free from nuclear weapons," Singh said.
He welcomed the recent agreement between the United
States and Russia to cut their nuclear arsenals as "a step in
the right direction" and asked "all states with substantial
nuclear arsenals to further accelerate this process by making
deeper cuts that will lead to meaningful disarmament."
The Prime Minister said India was encouraged by the
Nuclear Posture Review announced by President Obama.
Supporting the universalisation of the policy of
'No-first use', he said the salience of nuclear weapons in
national defence and security doctrines must be reduced as a
matter of priority.
Singh said India has been in the forefront of the call
for global and complete nuclear disarmament, starting with
Jawaharlal Nehru over five decades ago.
Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had put forward a
concrete Action Plan in 1988 for the universal and
non-discriminatory elimination of nuclear weapons leading to
global nuclear disarmament in a time-bound framework, he said,
adding "I once again reiterate India's call to the world
community to work towards the realisation of this vision."
In 2006, India proposed the negotiation of a Nuclear
Weapons Convention. India has also expressed readiness to
participate in the negotiation of an internationally
verifiable Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty in the Conference
on Disarmament.
Since 2002, India has piloted a resolution at the United
Nations General Assembly on measures to deny terrorists access
to Weapons of Mass Destruction. "We fully support the
implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution
1540 and the United Nations Global Counter Terrorism
Strategy," Singh said.
The Indian Atomic Energy Act provides the legal framework
for securing nuclear materials and facilities, and the Atomic
Energy Regulatory Board ensures independent oversight of
nuclear safety and security. India is also a party to the
Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and
its 2005 amendment.
"The nuclear industry's safety record over the last few
years has been encouraging. It has helped to restore public
faith in nuclear power," Singh said, adding "safety alone,
however, is not enough."
He said India would continue to work with the IAEA and
partners in the United Nations as well as other forums such as
the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism to upgrade
standards, share experiences and ensure effective
implementation of international benchmarks on nuclear
security. (More) PTI