Small states worry over nuclear tests<\/p>\n
COLOMBO (Reuters): South Asia's smaller countries said
\nyesterday that recent nuclear tests by their giant neighbors
\nIndia and Pakistan had made nuclear disarmament a prime concern
\nfor the region.<\/p>\n
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga said in a speech
\ninaugurating a three-day summit of the seven-member South Asian
\nAssociation for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that none of the
\ngroup's members had rushed to judgment on the tests.<\/p>\n
But she added: \"Although these concerns are not on the agenda
\nof the summit, they cannot be ignored.\"<\/p>\n
\"I believe all of us agree that such concerns cannot be
\ndivorced or considered in isolation from the global security
\nenvironment, in particular the nuclear environment, and the tardy
\nprogress in nuclear disarmament on a global scale.\"<\/p>\n
The tests in May attracted worldwide condemnation and economic
\nsanctions against the two countries. The resulting tension
\nbetween India and Pakistan, whose leaders are due to meet on the
\nsidelines of the regional summit, has overshadowed the summit's
\nagenda.<\/p>\n
Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said the tests in
\nSouth Asia had brought new regional concerns to the fore.
\n\"In all our previous meetings we have called for nuclear
\ndisarmament. Now the need for vigilance is even greater,\" Gayoom
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said in her speech
\nthat the nuclear tests could have been avoided.<\/p>\n
\"The recent nuclear tests in our region...is a development
\nthat we all wish could have been avoided. Problems, however
\ncomplex, can surely be resolved through peaceful means,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Lyonpo Jigmi Yoeser Thinley, head of the Bhutanese government,
\nsaid every nation had the right to protect its national interests
\nand uphold national dignity, but stressed that they must take
\nadvantage of opportunities for bilateral meetings at the summit
\nto address common concerns.<\/p>\n
Nepali Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said statesmanship
\nand vision were required to counter the fear of an arms race in
\nthe region.<\/p>\n
Kumaratunga also expressed regret that the five declared
\nnuclear powers -- the United States, Russia, Britain, France and
\nChina -- \"have so far failed to move significantly towards
\nnuclear disarmament\".<\/p>",
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