The United States is working hard with India and Pakistan to ensure that their nuclear stockpiles are "well tended to", and that they participate in efforts to limit the number of nuclear weapons, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.
Speaking on nuclear non-proliferation at the University of Louisville in Kentucky on Friday, she said that the manner in which India and Pakistan hade pursued atomic weapons had "upset the balance of nuclear deterrence". "There are three pillars to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. One is disarmament; one is non-proliferation; and one is the peaceful use of nuclear energy for civil nuclear purposes," she said.
"So, the United States will continue to demonstrate its willingness, in concert with Russia, because we have so many more weapons than any of the other countries - you know, by a very, very big margin," she said in her speech on 'No Greater Danger: Protecting Our Nation and Allies from nuclear terrorism and nuclear proliferation'.
"Other countries that have pursued nuclear weapons - like India and Pakistan, for example - have done so in a way that has upset the balance of nuclear deterrence," the US top diplomat added.
"And that's why we're working with both countries, very hard, to try to make sure that their nuclear stockpiles are, you know, well tended to, and that they participate with us in trying to limit the number of nuclear weapons. And both of them will be in Washington next week," she said.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will lead the Pakistan delegation at the next week's Nuclear Security Summit, which has been sponsored by US President Barack Obama. Some 45 heads of state/government, including Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, are scheduled to attend this major conference.
Comments
Comments are closed.