Asia welcomes treaty banning nuclear tests

Asia welcomes treaty banning nuclear tests

HONG KONG (Reuter): Most of Asia yesterday welcomed the UN General Assembly's approval of a treaty banning nuclear explosions as a flawed but necessary pact, although India vowed to continue fighting the deal.

The General Assembly overwhelmingly endorsed the treaty banning nuclear explosions in the atmosphere, underground or in any other environment in a 158-to-three vote on Tuesday led by Australia and adamantly opposed by India.

India dug in its heels, saying it would hold fast against the accord just as the nation's spiritual founder Mahatma Gandhi had stood up to British rule.

"We shall not sign the treaty," Foreign Minister Inder Kumar Gujral told the upper house of parliament, where lawmakers expressed their approval with the loud thumping of desks.

On Tuesday, India was one of only three United Nations member states which voted against the accord.

Japan, the only nation to suffer atomic bombing, led the chorus of praise.

"It is a big step forward," Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto told reporters. "From now on, the international community must make its utmost efforts to persuade India and other countries to accept the treaty."

India's opposition -- based on the treaty's failure to set a timetable for eliminating the world's atomic arsenals -- was a key sticking point for the deal's ultimate success and likely to lead to heavy pressure on New Delhi.

The pact, known as the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), does not enter into force until 44 countries with nuclear power reactors sign the document and ratify it through their parliaments, putting pressure on India to deliver support.

Pakistan, which has fought three wars with neighboring India since 1947, says although it voted in favor of the treaty on Tuesday it will not sign the CTBT unless India does the same.

Australia admitted the pact was flawed but said it was a vital move towards ridding the world of nuclear weapons.

"This treaty, like any international treaty is a compromise, we weren't perfectly happy with the wording of it...," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told reporters.

Downer said Australia would sign the pact this month and lobby world governments to follow. "We'll be encouraging the international community generally to sign the (treaty)."

Other Asian nations agreed the document was not perfect but stressed it should be passed into international law for the sake of world stability.

Although countries like Sri Lanka considered India's opposition a serious shortcoming in the pact, they said its vote against the deal was not a surprise.

Malaysia has criticized the language of the treaty for the same reasons India opposed it, but yesterday it called on those who voted down the CTBT at the United Nations -- India, Libya and Bhutan -- to rethink their positions.

"Flawed as the treaty is, Malaysia would join others, albeit with a lot of reservations, in supporting the draft Resolution...," said Malaysia's UN Permanent Representative, Razali Ismail.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said it hoped all countries would soon ratify the treaty.

"We believe the UN decision will play a positive role in controlling development of nuclear bombs and that will lead to non-proliferation and disarmament," it said in a statement.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jim Bolger said he was delighted with the vote, but the country's Disarmament Minister Doug Graham remained cautious over the pact's entry-into-force provision, the formula for the number of signatures needed to bring the treaty into effect.

"One of the three, India, has said it will never sign the treaty, so clearly entry into force will be a difficult process. However, we do have a commitment from the five nuclear weapon states to cease testing, which in itself is a cause to celebrate," he said in a statement.