Global leaders aim to be tough on weapons

Monday, 11 June 2007 A statement from the Group of Eight industrialised nations (G8) has reinforced its stance on the unacceptability of weapons of mass destruction and encouraged India in its efforts to join the non-proliferation mainstream.

The G8 wants to "strengthen all instruments available for combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery."

It remains committed to the multilateral treaty system - the basis for all non-proliferation efforts. In terms of nuclear weapons, this principally means the 1968 Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which requires states without nuclear weapons to refrain from developing them, while states holding the arms to move towards disarming.

The leaders stressed the need to "strengthen verification and enforcement" of countries' NPT commitments and to make the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and its Additional Protocol the "universally accepted verification standard."

It went on to "reaffirm the inalienable right" of NPT parties to use peaceful nuclear energy, but to "deplore the fact that Iran has so far failed to meet its obligations" to suspend uranium enrichment and research and allow negotiation to recommence - as required by three UNSC resolutions. If Iran did not meet those obligations, the G8 said it would support "adopting further measures" in addition to sanctions already imposed.

"We are committed to enhancing the effectiveness of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in meeting the challenge of proliferation and effectively fulfilling its role as the final arbiter of the consequences of non-compliance," said the G8.

The G8's membership is: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and the USA. The European Commission is also represented at meetings.

Relations with India

The G8 statement called for India to "take further steps towards integration into the mainstream" of the nuclear non-proliferation regime." This would "facilitate a more forthcoming approach towards nuclear cooperation in a manner that enhances and reinforces" the global regime. India has declined to sign the NPT, complaining that the treaty would require it to abandon the nuclear weapons capability it considers essential to balance power against Pakistan and China.

The G8 language referred to the efforts taken by US and Indian negotiators to conclude a nuclear cooperation agreement between the countries, despite India's non-NPT status. US politicians approved the text of a deal, but it met resistance from their Indian counterparts on several points. The most difficult aspect has been used nuclear fuel recycling, which India insists upon but that the American text denies. Another has been the American condition that the deal would be cancelled if India conducted a nuclear weapons test.

At a side meeting, US President George Bush met Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh to discuss the matters. Singh reportedly put forward a proposal for any Indian recycling centres to be placed under international safeguards, and the meeting was described as 'positive'.

Indian spokesman Sanjaya Baru said, "The basic question is that India's interests must be safeguarded. India should be careful to maintain its capabilities to do things in a self-reliant manner."

Further information

WNA's Safeguards to Prevent Nuclear Proliferation information paper
WNA's Nuclear Power in India information paper 

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