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ASEAN urges India, Pakistan to sign nuclear non-proliferation and test ban treaties

After enthusiastic promises from Japan's incoming prime minister to lift Asia's largest economy out of recession, Asian and Western nations at the ASEAN regional security forum were disappointed with India's response to criticism of its nuclear tests.

"There is only one country putting up any defence of India, and that is India,'' said Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, on the issue of nuclear tests, during yesterday's dinner and today's meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations Regional Forum.

He said there was very deep concern about the Indian and Pakistani nuclear tests and "the challenge they have thrown up to the non-proliferation regime which has served the world so well for the last 30 years.''

Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan described the tests as "plunging South Asia into a sudden wave of tension.''

Pakistan is not a member of the forum, which includes 20 countries ranging from Myanmar to the United States. India is represented by Deputy Planning Chairman Jaswant Singh, who refused to acknowledge to reporters day before yesterday that he had heard of any criticism of the May 11 and May 13 nuclear tests.

Objecting to moves by The Philippines and others to condemn the nuclear testing in a strongly worded communique, Singh said the forum is a consensus body and "there should be no divisions on any issue.''

He said India has always favoured nuclear disarmament, but felt the need to conduct tests because "the non-proliferation regime had turned flawed and discriminatory.''

Singh added India does not advocate further testing and conducted the tests to fill a vacuum that could have resulted in "grave and irreparable damage to India's supreme national interest.''

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright demanded that India and Pakistan back away from their nuclear programmes and sign the comprehensive test ban treaty "without conditions".

Japanese Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi, representing the only country to have been attacked with nuclear bombs, said the Indian and Pakistani tests were a major challenge to the nuclear nonproliferation regime. "The international community must join hands and firmly respond.''

Obuchi, set to become Japan's prime minister later this week, left early today for home, after apparently making a hit with his colleagues by promising dynamic action on economic stimulus measures. He said he would quickly enact a $ 43 billion tax cut and $ 71 billion government spending programme to "make a contribution to Asia.''

Japan is the biggest investor, trade partner and development aid donor in southeast Asia. With its huge economy (the world's second largest) in recession, its smaller, weaker neighbours have little chance of a rapid recovery from the year-long currency and economic crises.

Southeast Asian nations, which seek to create a nuclear-free zone in their region while pushing the nuclear weapons states toward full disarmament, were stunned by the recent Indian and Pakistani nuclear tests.

Sources who attended the three-hour dinner last night said Singh had listed a string of arguments which the other delegates disputed one by one.

Today, delegates were still debating whether to use the word "condemn'' and whether to name India and Pakistan in their final communique. A draft copy had the ministers calling for a total cessation of nuclear tests and urging the two countries to sign the international nuclear non-proliferation and test ban treaties.

The annual forum is designed to promote peaceful relations and defuse potential crises through informal one-on-one and group meetings among the nine ASEAN foreign ministers and their counterparts in North America, Europe, elsewhere in Asia and the South Pacific.

UNI

EARLIER REPORT:
ASEAN rebukes India, Pakistan for nuclear tests

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