an interesting news reported by JANG…
US for pact with Pakistan, India on nuclear devices
By Nadeem Malik
ISLAMABAD: The United States wants agreement, both with India and Pakistan, on moratorium, non-deployment and security of nuclear devices and missiles. According to knowledgeable sources, the US administration would work towards implementation of comprehensive nuclear threat reduction programme in South Asia to safeguard Pakistani and Indian missile, nuclear stockpiles and technology. According to the indicated schedule, the whole arrangement should be in place by September 2003.
The sources suggested that this initiative had got an added significance in recent weeks as India conducted more missile tests, and there were fears that it might be tempted to resume underground tests to build more pressure on Pakistan. Pakistan, however, had pledged not to respond to India’s Agni missile test in Orissa.
Regarding security and strategic arrangement, the US administration had taken similar initiatives with Russia in the past. Since 1991 the Nunn-Lugar cooperative threat reduction initiative with the Russian Federation had sought to address the threat posed by Soviet-era stockpiles of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons-grade materials being illicitly acquired by terrorist organisations or rogue states. The next step would be to work with India and Pakistan, sources said.
According to a report of the US government, both India and Pakistan have acquired or developed independently nuclear materials, detonation devices, warheads and delivery systems as part of their nuclear weapons programmes. It added that since the commencement of the military campaign against the Taliban regime and the al-Qaeda terrorist network in Afghanistan, Pakistan had taken additional steps to secure its nuclear assets from theft by members of al-Qaeda or other terrorists sympathetic to Osama bin Laden or the Taliban.
However, the report showed apprehensions that self-policing of nuclear materials and sensitive technologies by Indian and Pakistani authorities without up-to-date western technology and expertise in the nuclear security area is unlikely to prevent determined terrorists or sympathisers from gaining access to such stockpiles over the long term.
According to the report, the United States has a significant national security interest in cooperating with India and Pakistan in order to ensure effective nuclear threat reduction programmes, and to review the enabling policies. It suggested that the US Congress had asked the secretary of defence, in cooperation with the secretaries of state and energy, to submit a report on the steps to have been taken to develop cooperative threat reduction programs with India and Pakistan.
Such report could include recommendations for changes in any provision of existing law that is currently an impediment to the full establishment of such programmes, a timetable for implementation of such programmes, and an estimated five-year budget that will be required to fully fund such programmes.
According to another document, it was stated that it should be the policy of the United States, consistent with its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, to encourage and work with the governments of India and Pakistan to achieve the following objectives by September 30, 2003:
(1) Continuation of a nuclear testing moratorium.
(2) Commitment not to deploy nuclear weapons.
(3) Agreement by both governments to bring their export controls in line with the guidelines and requirements of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
(4) Agreement by both governments to bring their export controls in line with the guidelines and requirements of the Zangger Committee.
(5) Agreement by both governments to bring their export controls in line with the guidelines, requirements, and annexes of the Missile Technology Control Regime.
(6) Establishment of a modern, effective system to protect and secure nuclear devices and materiel from unauthorised use, accidental employment, theft, espionage, misuse, or abuse.
(7) Establishment of a modern, effective system to control the export of sensitive dual-use items, technology, technical information and materiel that can be used in the design, development or production of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles.
(8) Conduct of bilateral meetings between Indian and Pakistani senior officials to discuss security issues, establish confidence-building measures and increase transparency with regard to nuclear policies, programmes, stockpiles, capabilities, and delivery systems.
The document says that the US president would submit a report on the subject to the appropriate committees of Congress by March 1, 2003, describing the US efforts in pursuit of these, the progress made toward the achievement of those objectives and the likelihood that each objective would be achieved by September 30, 2003
so what u people think?..
i think u.s is trying to tighten its hands on both india and pakistan…the post afghan war has made the indian subcontinent a very volatile region and both the countries are not ready for a deescalation of the situation…u.s ,to find larger horizons in this region,to safe guard its interests and to constrain india and pakistan has started to intervene in the nuclear programmes and policies adopted by both the states…will both the nations facilitate something from this or this will adversely affect them?..