New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS) Under renewed global pressure for signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), India Tuesday reiterated its commitment to a voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing and stressed that it would participate in negotiations on an Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) as a nuclear weapon state.
Welcoming recent initiatives by the US and Russia to slash their nuclear arsenals, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reiterated India’s pledge to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and emphasised that global non-proliferation should be “universal and non-discriminatory” in order to be successful.

“It is a matter of regret that the global non-proliferation regime has not succeeded in preventing nuclear proliferation. Its deficiencies in fact have had an adverse impact on our security,” Manmohan Singh said in a subtle reference to Pakistan’s nuclear programme which has been allegedly supported by China, an official nuclear weapon state.

“Global non-proliferation, to be successful, should be universal, comprehensive and non-discriminatory and linked to the goal of complete nuclear disarmament,” Manmohan Singh said while inaugurating an international conference on peaceful uses of nuclear energy here.

“India is proud of its non-proliferation record and is committed to global efforts for preventing the proliferation of all weapons of mass destruction,” Manmohan Singh said.

Amid dissenting positions by some Indian nuclear scientists questioning India’s nuclear deterrence, Manmohan Singh reiterated New Delhi’s commitment to “a voluntary, unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing”.

“We are committed to a voluntary, unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing. As a nuclear weapon state and a responsible member of the international community we will participate constructively in the negotiations of an FMCT in the Conference on Disarmament,” he said.

India became a de facto nuclear weapon state after it conducted multiple tests in 1998. It has not signed the NPT on grounds that it is discriminatory as it tends to divide the world into the nuclear haves and have-nots.

The prime minister supported the vision of nuclear disarmament unveiled by US President Barack Obama in a speech in Prague in April and welcomed ongoing negotiations by the US and Russia, who together account for over 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons, to cut their nuclear arsenals.

Manmohan Singh batted vigorously for peaceful uses of nuclear energy, saying India will be a significant factor in the ongoing worldwide nuclear renaissance.

India can generate 470,000 MW of power by 2050 if “we manage three stages of our nuclear programme well”, he said.

Manmohan Singh’s remarks come days after the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution aimed at stopping the spread of nuclear weapons.

Earlier, he had made it clear that India will not sign “discriminatory” pacts like the NPT. The prime minister had also clarified that the resolution was not directed at India and will not affect the implementation of the India-US civil nuclear deal.