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| India-Pakistan |
| Pak takes a U-turn to block fissile cut-off treaty |
| 2009-08-17 |
| In a stunning reversal of its stand, Pakistan has stalled the start of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty despite having given its consent three months ago to a hard fought consensus decision. This has raised concerns over Islamabad’s intentions, which has cited “national security interests” for this sudden change. On May 29, Pakistan Representative at the Conference of Disarmament (CD) in Geneva Zamir Akram had said that Pakistan had “joined the consensus” because it “reflects a compromise and enables us to break the impasse in the conference”. But when the CD met in the first week of August, Akram informed the Conference President that he was awaiting fresh instructions from his government. On August 10, Caroline Millar from Australia, the Conference President, revealed that the Pakistan representative had informed her that his government wanted the text of the decision to be “reopened”. She, in fact, is said to have told the conference that she was slightly at a loss to explain what had happened because some of the things Pakistan was asking to be reopened were issues she thought had been worked out with all delegations through “extensive consultations”. She was concerned that the “delicate compromises put in place would be placed in jeopardy”. Pakistan is now the only country standing in the way of negotiations. Coming under severe criticism from other countries, Akram is said to have described the development as “unfortunate” but made it clear that everyone had to work “on behalf of their own national security interests”. The FMCT is supposed to be an instrument through which production of fissile material will be banned. The United Nations mandated the Geneva-based Conference of Disarmament in 1993 to come up with a non-discriminatory, multilateral and international verifiable treaty. For several years, talks on the treaty were blocked due to divergence in views. Finally, three months ago on May 29, the CD was able to reach a consensus among its 65 members on a programme of work that effectively meant starting negotiations on FMCT before the end of 2009. It was expected that the current session which started in August first week will work out an implementation time table and identify coordinators for the different working groups. India too supported the consensus given its commitment under the Indo-US nuclear deal to play a constructive role in breaking the logjam on FMCT. Indian Representative Hamid Ali Rao, however, made it clear that it would not accept any obstacles to its strategic programme. “We will not accept obligations not in keeping with or prejudicial to our national security interests or which hinder our strategic programme, our R&D as well as three-stage nuclear programme. The treaty should not place undue burden on military non-proscribed activity,” he said. In this context, sources said there is speculation in Geneva that Pakistan’s reference to “national security interests” at this juncture is a revision which could be prompted by India’s line when the consensus was adopted. More so, there is growing concern in Pakistan over India launching its nuclear-capable submarine. |
| Posted by:john frum |