India supports ASEAN's nuclear-free status

India supports ASEAN's nuclear-free status

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Nuclear power India said on Wednesday it respected Southeast Asia's nuclear-weapons-free status and pledged to support any move to formalize the bloc's security position along those lines.

"The security of India and that of ASEAN are closely interlinked," Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said in Kuala Lumpur in a speech entitled "India and ASEAN - Shared Perspectives".

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

The group has declared itself a nuclear weapons free zone. "We believe that a multi-polar world order would provide the best guarantee of equal security for all states," Vajpayee said.

"We respect the status of Southeast Asia as a nuclear Weapons Free Zone and, as a nuclear weapons state, we are willing to convert this recognition into a de jure commitment."

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, speaking to reporters after Vajpayee's speech, said he welcomed India's support for ASEAN's stand.

India, which was generally seen as on the side of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, conducted nuclear tests in 1998 triggering U.S. sanctions. Its rival Pakistan carried out tests shortly afterwards, also provoking U.S. sanctions.

Vajpayee said India's tests were based on its evaluation of its security environment and did not violate any treaty.

Winding up his four-day visit to Malaysia, Vajpayee said the world now had a better understanding of India's security imperatives and reiterated his country's decision to maintain a nuclear arsenal.

India justified its tests in 1998 by pointing to potential threats from nuclear-armed neighbors, China and Pakistan. "We have proved that India is neither a proliferation threat nor an exporter of sensitive nuclear or missile technology. This cannot be said to be true of all parties to the NPT," Vajpayee said.

India, which has ducked global pressure to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), says it is still seeking a broad domestic consensus on the signing of Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, a key element in NPT.

India recently welcomed U.S. President George W. Bush's new vision of nuclear disarmament, but stopped short of openly endorsing his controversial plan to build an anti-missile shield.

Vajpayee,leading a 75-member business delegation to Malaysia, urged for a comprehensive India-ASEAN dialogue to boost economic and security ties.

India is a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum, a broader 37- member security grouping.