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Japan rethinking sanctions against India

Japan will look at lifting sanctions on India if New Delhi shows it is serious about its promise to sign the nuclear Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, Japan's Foreign Minister Yohei Kono said today.

''While carefully listening to India's stance on the CTBT and other matters, we must think over our measures taken since India conducted nuclear tests,'' in May last year, Kono told a Tokyo press conference.

Tokyo had yet to decide on whether to lift its sanctions --- the suspension of fresh grant aid and yen-denominated loans except for humanitarian purposes.

Kono said the new Indian government had conveyed a positive stance to Japanese Foreign Secretary Ichita Yamamoto, who visited India and Pakistan earlier this week and urged the two nations to swiftly sign the CTBT.

External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh had told Yamamoto that India intends to ''seriously and positively move toward gaining public consensus and joining the CTBT,'' Kono said.

UNI

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