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Post-Yugoslavia, Russia agrees with India's rationale behind nuclearisation

India's justification of its nuclear weapons policy 'is quite reasonable,' feels the Kremlin.

This unexpected support for India has come in the wake of continuing NATO attacks on Yugoslavia.

Washington would have adopted a different stance towards both Yugoslavia and Iraq had they been nuclear powers, opines Novosti's Peter Romanov, reacting to New Delhi's statement on the first anniversary of Pokhran II.

The expert on Russian nuclear policy further says that his country had been pressing India to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty till March 24, when NATO started bombing Yugoslavia.

Russia is planning to modernise its tactical and strategic nuclear arsenal. Work is now progressing on developing new generation tactical nukes, Romanov writes.

Like the United States, Russia now desires to develop 'non-strategic, high-precision, low-yield nukes' capable of striking any part of the globe, Novosti says.

This support for India assumes added significance in view of the talks in Kremlin slated between Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh and Russian leaders on May 24 and 25.

It has also been disclosed that a Russian document on conducting a series of tests in Novaya Zemlya is awaiting presidential clearance. The document is part of the Russian national security council's defence plans.

The proposed tests have been termed 'non-nuke blasts' and are to be conducted in conformity with international norms.

Surprisingly, Moscow, has admitted its helplessness in resolving the on-going Yugoslav conflict. ''Do you know why the problem in Yugoslavia has arisen?'' Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin asked the media on the eve of his appointment as caretaker premier.

''Simply because we are weak, especially economically.'' Another factor, he said, was the absence of realistic targets.

UNI

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