Japan's Foreign Minister on Tuesday said Tokyo needed assurance a crucial nuclear accord between India and the United States will strengthen disarmament efforts after key talks here on the issue. Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee discussed the pact, which would lift nuclear sanctions against India after it tested atomic weapons.
"We need to confirm that this nuclear co-operation agreement ... will not undermine disarmament efforts," Komura told reporters after the talks. The Japanese minister also pressed India to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). "Japan has been continuously requesting India to join the NPT and ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. This is something we will not change our position on," Komura said.
Japan is a key player in the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which controls the transfer of nuclear material and needs to approve the India-US deal. Its rules ban trade with states that have not signed the NPT. Komura is the first top official from an NSG member to visit India since the UN's atomic watchdog (IAEA) approved a safeguards pact with New Delhi that was key to finalising the nuclear co-operation accord.
Comments
Comments are closed.