India, Pak offer to resume talks with each other
India today offered to resume a direct bilateral dialogue with Pakistan on Jammu and Kashmir and other outstanding issues, while still asserting that the five permanent United Nations Security Council members had failed to check clandestine transfer of nuclear weapons technology which constituted a ''serious violation'' of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
In a two-page statement, the government reiterated that there was no room for outside involvement of any nature in the India-Pakistan dialogue.
It stated that India's proposal for further talks had been with Pakistan since January and its response was awaited.
The external affairs ministry spokesperson who read the statement said India's three proposals made recently in the field of nuclear disarmament and for peace and stability in the region provided a reasonable framework ''for addressing our common concerns''.
Referring to the ''serious threat'' to India's security due to non-observance of the obligations by the P-5 under the NPT, the spokesman said, ''the clandestine transfer over the years of nuclear weapons technology and fissile material to our neighbourhood is well-known. Nevertheless, the P-5 have declined to take action to address a serious violation of a treaty provision to which all of them were party''.
He said India had not violated any treaty provisions which it had undertaken. ''Our (nuclear) tests are not directed against any country. We have not raised tensions, nor do we intend to do so.''
The spokesman said India remained strongly committed to a comprehensive, universal and non-discriminatory global nuclear disarmament regime.
In keeping with its responsible approach as a nuclear weapon state, he said India had reiterated its commitment to continue observing the strictest control on export of nuclear material or related technologies.
He listed the three proposals made by India recently for confidence building measures in the field of nuclear disarmament and for peace and stability in the region and beyond. These are: India will observe a voluntary moratorium and refrain from conducting further tests. India is also willing to move a de jure formulation of this declaration. India is willing to participate in negotiations on the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty in the conference on nuclear disarmament in Geneva. And India has announced that it is
ready to discuss a no-first use agreement bilaterally with Pakistan as also with other countries, bilaterally or in a collective forum.
He said these proposals provided a reasonable framework for addressing the common concerns of the international community.
Referring to the ''serious threat'' to India's security due to non-observance of the obligations by the P-5 under the NPT, the spokesman said, ''The clandestine transfer over the years of nuclear weapons technology and fissile material to our neighbourhood is well-known. Nevetheless, the P-5 have declined to take action to address a serious violation of a treaty provision to which all of them were party''.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has offered to resume secretary-level talks that were suspended with India last year.
A government statement released in Islamabad, however, said such bilateral dialogue needs to be supplemented by a broader, multilateral process to promote durable peace in South Asia. This was apparently an allusion to the offers from Japan and other countries to mediate on the Kashmir issue. The statement also said the Geneva initiative was a good starting point for international mediation on the Kashmir issue.
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