In an apparent reference to Pakistan’s disgraced scientist A Q Khan’s clandestine nuclear proliferation network, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asked world leaders to adopt a “zero tolerance” for groups and individuals engaged in illegal trafficking in atomic items.
“There should be zero tolerance for individuals and groups which engage in illegal trafficking in nuclear items,” Singh said at the Nuclear Security Summit here, which is being attended by the leaders from 47 countries, including Pakistan Prime Minister Yosuf Raza Gilani.
Singh regretted that the global non-proliferation regime has failed to prevent nuclear proliferation as clandestine proliferation networks have flourished and led to insecurity for all, including and especially for India.
Singh was referring to the founder of Pakistan’s nuclear programme A Q Khan who was accused of establishing a “transnational network of smugglers” to sell nuclear weapon capabilities to Iran, Libya, and North Korea.
Khan was placed under house arrest in early 2004 after he confessed to running a nuclear proliferation network on state-run television.
Global nuke energy centre
Demonstrating India’s responsible behaviour, the Prime Minister today announced setting up a ‘Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership’ for conducting research and development of design systems that are secure, proliferation resistant and sustainable.
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As soon as Singh made the announcement at the Summit, US President Barack Obama intervened to welcome it, saying “this will be one more tool to establish best practises” in the quest for nuclear safety.
Addressing the Summit, Singh said the Centre would consist of four Schools dealing with advanced nuclear energy system studies, nuclear security, radiation safety and application of radioisotopes and radiation technology in areas of healthcare, agriculture and food.
India-Kazakhstan civil nuclear deal
India and Kazakhstan will soon wrap-up inter-governmental negotiations on civil nuclear cooperation, a move that came after meeting of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Kazakh President Noorsultan Nazarbayev.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, is scheduled to visit Kazakhstan next month to draw a road map to implement the agreements and initiatives that were agreed between the two countries when Nazarbayev, visited New Delhi in January 2009.
During a 45-minute meeting with Singh, on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit here, Nazarbayev also invited Indian companies to invest heavily in Kazakhstan. Singh and Nazarbayev also discussed the situation in the region including Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Both agreed on the importance of stability, security and economic development of Afghanistan and also expressed concern at production of narcotics and trafficking of narcotics.
Morocco pledges support for India in UNSC
Morocco has pledged support for India’s candidature to the UN Security Council, even as both the nations agreed to enhance cooperation in the field of economic and business cooperation.
At a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his Moroccan counterpart Abbas El Fassi, expressed his support for India’s candidature to the UN Security Council, said the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash.
The commerce ministers of the two countries would soon meet in New Delhi to hold the joint commission meeting.
PM, Gilani meet twice
Though they avoided a bilateral meeting, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani had two brief encounters on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit here.
Singh and Gilani, who are leading their delegations at the Summit, met briefly on both occasions and exchanged pleasantries and shook hands.
The two leaders first met at the dinner hosted by President Barack Obama last night, when they chatted for about five minutes. The two met for a second time at a lounge where all visiting leaders were assembling for the plenary session this morning, and again had a brief interaction and were seen shaking hands.