US will push for all states that are not members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) including India and Pakistan to join the nuclear accord during the NPT Review Conference to be held next week at the U.N. headquarters.
“The U.S. has had a long—standing policy of supporting the universal adherence to NPT,” Susan Burk Special Representative of the President for nuclear non—proliferation told PTI, in response to a question whether Washington will address the question of New Delhi and Islamabad’s absence from the NPT.
“And I am quite confident that the issue will be raised during the review conference, and there will be a desire to recommit the parties’ support for that,” she added.
The NPT review conference is held every five years to assess the progress in reaching the goal set out in the treaty to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.
India, Pakistan and Israel have not signed the treaty.
The 2005 conference ended without any concrete result and was widely regarded as a failure.
The Bush Administration garnered a great deal of hostility for diluting disarmament goals.
During the recent Nuclear Summit hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama, U.N. Secretary—General Ban Ki—moon also called on all states to join the NPT.
“All member states who have not done so should participate in the NPT Treaty. That is an obligation of all member states of the U.N.,” he said.
Mr. Ban noted that the conference is a chance to make progress “on disarmament, on compliance with non-proliferation commitments, including the pursuit of a nuclear weapons free—zone in the Middle East; on the peaceful use of nuclear energy”.
Meanwhile, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to attend the meeting of the eighth review conference of the 1970 Nuclear Non—Proliferation Treaty, where US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected meet diplomats from more than 180 countries.
On Friday, U.S. officials also noted here that the Indo—US civilian nuclear deal has not weakened the NPT, as officials gather in New York next week for the once—in—a—five year NPT Review Conference.
The conference will be held at the same time as the U.S. along with France, Britain and Germany have been pushing Russia and China to impose the fourth round of sanctions against Iran.
“We don’t believe we weakened the NPT in our peaceful civilian nuclear deal with India,” Ellen Tauscher, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control told reporters here.
“It’s a deal that comes with safeguards, and it comes with a number of other transparency mechanisms that we think, frankly, add to the security and the non-proliferation concerns she said in response to a question.
Responding to a question on China-Pak deal on nuclear power plants, the US official refused to enter into any speculation but said that these things take a long time.
“I am not going to speculate on a future perhaps sale between China and Pakistan. These things take a long time. So I’m going to wait to see how that develops,” Mr. Tauscher said and added that the US is disappointed that Pakistan is blocking negotiations on the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty.
Showing posts with label Obama administration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama administration. Show all posts
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
U.S. rules out mediating between India and Pak on key issues
Ahead of the key strategic dialogue with Pakistan, the Obama administration on Wednesday shot down Islamabad’s plea to help it resume peace talks with India and mediate on key disputes with New Delhi on issues including Kashmir.
It is for India and Pakistan to resolve all their disputes bilaterally and the Obama Administration does not sees a role for itself in it unless both the countries want it, Special US Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke told journalists at a joint press conference with the Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir here.
Responding to questions from the Pakistani media on this issue, Holbrooke, however, said that the U.S. encourages both India and Pakistan to talk to each other on all the issues.
He said talking on Kashmir is not in his mandate.
Holbrooke said the first ever Cabinet level Strategic Dialogue between the two countries would be an important milestone in building relationship U.S.-Pak between.
At another reception at the Pakistani Embassy on the occasion of Pakistan National Day, visiting Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that he is here to build a partnership with the US based on mutual trust, confidence and shared objectives.
“We have made progress in Pakistan and the world is acknowledging our sacrifices. We are ready to deliver, we are ready to move, let’s build a partnership which is lasting,” Mr. Qureshi said.
The reception was attended by top officials of the Obama Administration including National Security Adviser General (rtd) James Jones, lawmakers and US ambassador in Islamabad Anne Paterson.
Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Finance Adviser Abdul Hafeez Shaikh also attended the reception.
Earlier, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley said the Obama Administration has spent a lot of time trying to convince all countries in the region that ultimately improved relations with the United States and with others in the region is in everyone’s interest.
“We continue to make that clear. Assistant Secretary (Robert) Blake has been in the region and I think is trying to help various countries understand the context within which these expanded dialogues with all of the countries continue and are in everyone’s interest,” Crowley said.
It is for India and Pakistan to resolve all their disputes bilaterally and the Obama Administration does not sees a role for itself in it unless both the countries want it, Special US Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke told journalists at a joint press conference with the Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir here.
Responding to questions from the Pakistani media on this issue, Holbrooke, however, said that the U.S. encourages both India and Pakistan to talk to each other on all the issues.
He said talking on Kashmir is not in his mandate.
Holbrooke said the first ever Cabinet level Strategic Dialogue between the two countries would be an important milestone in building relationship U.S.-Pak between.
At another reception at the Pakistani Embassy on the occasion of Pakistan National Day, visiting Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that he is here to build a partnership with the US based on mutual trust, confidence and shared objectives.
“We have made progress in Pakistan and the world is acknowledging our sacrifices. We are ready to deliver, we are ready to move, let’s build a partnership which is lasting,” Mr. Qureshi said.
The reception was attended by top officials of the Obama Administration including National Security Adviser General (rtd) James Jones, lawmakers and US ambassador in Islamabad Anne Paterson.
Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Finance Adviser Abdul Hafeez Shaikh also attended the reception.
Earlier, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley said the Obama Administration has spent a lot of time trying to convince all countries in the region that ultimately improved relations with the United States and with others in the region is in everyone’s interest.
“We continue to make that clear. Assistant Secretary (Robert) Blake has been in the region and I think is trying to help various countries understand the context within which these expanded dialogues with all of the countries continue and are in everyone’s interest,” Crowley said.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
U.S.condemns Pune terrorist attack
The Obama Administration has strongly condemned the Pune bombing and said it believes that counter-terrorism cooperation is a key element of the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and India.
“We do note that the United States and India view enhanced cooperation in counter-terrorism as an important element to our bilateral strategic partnership,” the State Department Acting Spokesman, Gordon Duguid, said on Tuesday.
Condemning the terrorist attack in the strongest terms and sending condolences to the families of the victims, Mr. Duguid said the US and India are working together as never before to combat terrorism.
“The United States and India, since the Mumbai attacks, are working together to enhance information collection, intelligence sharing, and analysis capabilities, and our governments are sharing significant information to help safeguard our countries,” he said.
“The information we have shared so far has been quite unprecedented, and we intend to continue to working with the Government of India to try and protect our two societies from these types of attacks,” Mr. Duguid said, in response to a question.
The State Department spokesman said America is working with both India and Pakistan against the threat that all the three countries face from terrorists and extremist groups.
“We do note that the United States and India view enhanced cooperation in counter-terrorism as an important element to our bilateral strategic partnership,” the State Department Acting Spokesman, Gordon Duguid, said on Tuesday.
Condemning the terrorist attack in the strongest terms and sending condolences to the families of the victims, Mr. Duguid said the US and India are working together as never before to combat terrorism.
“The United States and India, since the Mumbai attacks, are working together to enhance information collection, intelligence sharing, and analysis capabilities, and our governments are sharing significant information to help safeguard our countries,” he said.
“The information we have shared so far has been quite unprecedented, and we intend to continue to working with the Government of India to try and protect our two societies from these types of attacks,” Mr. Duguid said, in response to a question.
The State Department spokesman said America is working with both India and Pakistan against the threat that all the three countries face from terrorists and extremist groups.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Cold war era regulations hampering India-US relationship
The cold-war era policies restricting technology transfer is coming in the way of strengthening and deepening of America’s relationship with India in the 21st century, a top Obama Administration official has said.
“Right now we are in a really -- building, frankly, on the work of the last administration and that before, we are at a really critical and important point in our partnership with India,” said Michele Flournoy, the Undersecretary of Defence for Policy.
“India is, you know, a country with whom we share many interests, many values. We are deepening our military cooperation,” she said in response to a question at the Council on Foreign Relations -- a Washington-based think-tank.
“And yet, as we try to sell them equipment that they’re very interested in, we’re getting hung up on these technology-transfer issues that are really a legacy of the Cold War and have nothing to do with our modern relationship with India and the kind of partnership we’re trying to build there,” Ms. Flournoy said with a sense of frustration that the Obama Administration is not able to sell the type of military equipment required by India because of such outdated laws enacted by the Congress during the cold war period.
“Trying to explain this to them (India) is very difficult when we don’t have a lot of confidence in the system as it is today,” Ms. Flournoy said, hoping that the Department of Defence would be trying to engage itself with the Congress on this issue this year.
“The problem we see is, on the one hand, for the technologies that we really, really want to protect, the system isn’t always as good on enforcement and pursuing violations as it should be,” she said.
“For technologies that are -- you know, at the same time, we tend to undermine our own economic competitiveness and our ability to build partner capacity and work with allies by protecting all kinds of things that are really now freely available, or trying to protect things that are pretty much arguably freely available on the open market,” she observed.
“I mean, the Secretary (of Defence) likes to use the example of having found some things on the protected-items list that, you know, you could go to Beijing -- to the Radio Shack in Beijing and buy,” the Undersecretary of Defence pointed out.
“So, we really need a scrub of the whole system to build higher walls around the true crown jewels that we’re trying to protect and create a more open and transparent and workable system for the rest. That’s really what we’re aiming for,” Ms. Flournoy said.
“Right now we are in a really -- building, frankly, on the work of the last administration and that before, we are at a really critical and important point in our partnership with India,” said Michele Flournoy, the Undersecretary of Defence for Policy.
“India is, you know, a country with whom we share many interests, many values. We are deepening our military cooperation,” she said in response to a question at the Council on Foreign Relations -- a Washington-based think-tank.
“And yet, as we try to sell them equipment that they’re very interested in, we’re getting hung up on these technology-transfer issues that are really a legacy of the Cold War and have nothing to do with our modern relationship with India and the kind of partnership we’re trying to build there,” Ms. Flournoy said with a sense of frustration that the Obama Administration is not able to sell the type of military equipment required by India because of such outdated laws enacted by the Congress during the cold war period.
“Trying to explain this to them (India) is very difficult when we don’t have a lot of confidence in the system as it is today,” Ms. Flournoy said, hoping that the Department of Defence would be trying to engage itself with the Congress on this issue this year.
“The problem we see is, on the one hand, for the technologies that we really, really want to protect, the system isn’t always as good on enforcement and pursuing violations as it should be,” she said.
“For technologies that are -- you know, at the same time, we tend to undermine our own economic competitiveness and our ability to build partner capacity and work with allies by protecting all kinds of things that are really now freely available, or trying to protect things that are pretty much arguably freely available on the open market,” she observed.
“I mean, the Secretary (of Defence) likes to use the example of having found some things on the protected-items list that, you know, you could go to Beijing -- to the Radio Shack in Beijing and buy,” the Undersecretary of Defence pointed out.
“So, we really need a scrub of the whole system to build higher walls around the true crown jewels that we’re trying to protect and create a more open and transparent and workable system for the rest. That’s really what we’re aiming for,” Ms. Flournoy said.
