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NEW DELHI, April 28: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday urged India to sign an international treaty banning nuclear testing and support another that puts a cap on the production of fissile material needed for making atomic weapons.In a public speech here, Mr Annan said he was pleased that the international community had managed to conclude a convention on nuclear terrorism earlier this month.
“I hope India will set an example by rapidly adhering to that convention, and will also soon sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, as well as giving active support to the negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty,” Mr Annan said.
The convention on nuclear terrorism adopted by the UN General Assembly on April 13 gives legal definitions to virtually all varieties of potential terrorist acts.
Adopted by consensus after seven years of negotiation, it was added to 12 existing anti-terror measures.
India, which came out of the nuclear closet in 1998 conducting five tests, has resisted signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) describing it as discriminatory.
New Delhi says the CTBT does not address its concerns on complete nuclear disarmament, does not aim to abolish or ban nuclear weapons but allows countries with atomic arms to refine their arsenals with simulated tests.
India announced a moratorium on further tests immediately after its 1998 tests.
On the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty, which demands an end to the production of fissile material, India says it will follow the five nuclear weapon states — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
UNSC EXPANSION: Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, Mr Annan said that the P-5 countries would not accept the demand for veto powers made by India and other candidates for permanent seats at the Security Council.
However, he said, changes in the options for expansion of the Security Council could not be ruled out.
Wrapping up his three-day visit to India, he remained non-committal towards India’s claim for permanent membership of an enlarged Security Council.
Mr Annan said ‘intense’ discussions were taking place among the member states on two options proposed by him for expansion of the Security Council.
While the first option provides for six new permanent seats with no veto power and three new two-year term non-permanent seats divided among major regional areas, the second one entails no new permanent seat but proposes a new category of eight four-year renewable-term seats and one new two-year non-permanent seat.
“As the UN secretary general, I cannot have a preference for any of the options or express an opinion on which individual country or countries should be members of the Security Council,” he said
Answering a question if there could be amendments to the options, he said ‘modifications of the proposals cannot be ruled out’ and it was up to the UN members to decide on it.
He said at the UN consensus meant unanimity and it was difficult to get each of the 191 members to agree on the options for the Security Council expansion.
Hence, he was for encouraging ‘broad agreement’ on either of the options so that a decision was taken, not deferred, Mr Annan stressed.
On veto rights, he said, though many wanted removal of the exclusive rights of the five permanent members of the Security Council, it was not possible to do so, therefore, status quo had to be kept.
When asked whether he favoured his successor to be from Asia, Mr Annan said a UN secretary-general was elected on rotational basis.
He said there was a general sense next time the post would go to Asia, adding there was already a candidate from Thailand in the race.—Agencies
