NEW DELHI, May 17: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday reaffirmed his support to efforts by the international non-proliferation regime to check clandestine trade of nuclear technology but stopped short of committing New Delhi to accept the NPT in its present form.

In remarks to the country’s space and nuclear scientists at an awards ceremony here Dr Singh chided unnamed countries for mixing proliferation concerns with trade. “The strict regulation of external transfers and tight control to prevent internal leakages should give confidence to the international suppliers of high technology items that their supplies will remain fully secure with us,” he told scientists of the state-run DRDO defence research outfit. “We see no reason for non-proliferation concerns to be a barrier to high technology trade and commerce with our country,” Dr Singh said.

India is willing to shoulder its share of international obligation as partner against proliferation provided its legitimate interests were safeguarded. “In the defence field and the nuclear field, our strategic programmes are indigenous and not dependent on external sources of support. Nor can they be the subject of externally imposed constraints,” he said. “Within these parameters, India is prepared for the broadest possible engagement with the international non-proliferation regime.”

Dr Singh is scheduled to visit Washington in July for meetings with senior officials led by President George W. Bush. “India is willing to shoulder its share of international obligations as a partner against proliferation provided our legitimate interests are safeguarded,” Dr Singh said in his address to the scientists. The United States says it wants the review conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to reaffirm that India, Pakistan and Israel could join the treaty only as non-nuclear weapon states. “Just as South Africa and Ukraine did in the early 1990s, these states would have to forswear nuclear weapons and accept IAEA safeguards on all nuclear activities to join the treaty,” says US ambassador for Disarmament Jackie Wolcott Sanders.