India supports ASEAN's nuclear-free status<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Nuclear power India said on Wednesday
\nit respected Southeast Asia's nuclear-weapons-free status and
\npledged to support any move to formalize the bloc's security
\nposition along those lines.<\/p>\n
\"The security of India and that of ASEAN are closely
\ninterlinked,\" Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said in
\nKuala Lumpur in a speech entitled \"India and ASEAN - Shared
\nPerspectives\".<\/p>\n
The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups
\nMalaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines,
\nBrunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.<\/p>\n
The group has declared itself a nuclear weapons free zone.
\n\"We believe that a multi-polar world order would provide the best
\nguarantee of equal security for all states,\" Vajpayee said.<\/p>\n
\"We respect the status of Southeast Asia as a nuclear Weapons
\nFree Zone and, as a nuclear weapons state, we are willing to
\nconvert this recognition into a de jure commitment.\"<\/p>\n
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, speaking to
\nreporters after Vajpayee's speech, said he welcomed India's
\nsupport for ASEAN's stand.<\/p>\n
India, which was generally seen as on the side of the Soviet
\nUnion during the Cold War, conducted nuclear tests in 1998
\ntriggering U.S. sanctions. Its rival Pakistan carried out tests
\nshortly afterwards, also provoking U.S. sanctions.<\/p>\n
Vajpayee said India's tests were based on its evaluation of
\nits security environment and did not violate any treaty.<\/p>\n
Winding up his four-day visit to Malaysia, Vajpayee said the
\nworld now had a better understanding of India's security
\nimperatives and reiterated his country's decision to maintain a
\nnuclear arsenal.<\/p>\n
India justified its tests in 1998 by pointing to potential
\nthreats from nuclear-armed neighbors, China and Pakistan.
\n\"We have proved that India is neither a proliferation threat nor
\nan exporter of sensitive nuclear or missile technology. This
\ncannot be said to be true of all parties to the NPT,\" Vajpayee
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
India, which has ducked global pressure to sign the nuclear
\nNon-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), says it is still seeking a broad
\ndomestic consensus on the signing of Comprehensive Test Ban
\nTreaty, a key element in NPT.<\/p>\n
India recently welcomed U.S. President George W. Bush's new
\nvision of nuclear disarmament, but stopped short of openly
\nendorsing his controversial plan to build an anti-missile shield.<\/p>\n
Vajpayee,leading a 75-member business delegation to Malaysia,
\nurged for a comprehensive India-ASEAN dialogue to boost economic
\nand security ties.<\/p>\n
India is a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum, a broader 37-
\nmember security grouping.<\/p>",
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