India said Thursday it was willing to work with "like-minded" countries to prevent secret exports of sensitive nuclear materials but circumstances were not right to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, addressing a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, said India, which conducted a series of nuclear tests in May 1998, was acting responsibly.
"We are a responsible nuclear power and we have a no-first-use doctrine in place," Singh said in reply to questions about New Delhi's stand on the NPT.
India says the pact imposes stricter conditions on fledgling nuclear states than on established nuclear powers.
"India also has an impeccable record on export controls so that any unauthorised use of sensitive nuclear material can be effectively prevented," the prime minister said.
"We are interested in working with like-minded countries to strengthen the non-proliferation system."
"We are victims of gaps that exist in the present nuclear proliferation arrangements and I don't want to talk about it but we have seen for example clandestine exports of nuclear material in our region.
"So we are committed to work with like-minded countries to strengthen the non-proliferation regime to prevent unauthorised proliferation but I don't know whether circumstances are right now for us to sign that (NPT)," Singh said.
India since its nuclear weapons explosions has imposed a moratorium on further testing.
"We are voluntarily fulfilling all the commitments that go with being a responsible nuclear power, acting with due restraint," the premier said.
India also refuses to endorse the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, arguing that it does not restrict simulated nuclear tests or contains a time-frame for disarmament.