'India committed to goal of non-discriminatory, verifiable nuclear disarmament'

New Delhi: India, as a responsible nuclear weapon state, is committed to maintaining credible minimum deterrence with the posture of no-first use and non-use against non-nuclear weapon states, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Monday.

Addressing the high-level segment of the Conference on Disarmament, Shringla said India is also committed to the goal of universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable nuclear disarmament.

"We need to rise above our differences, and demonstrate political will and genuine intent to find consensus to deliver on our collective mandate. Those resorting to politicisation only weaken the mandate of this body," he said.

As the world's single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum, as mandated by the Special Session on Disarmament (SSOD)-1, the Conference on Disarmament's agenda deals with critical challenges of disarmament and international security facing the international community, he noted.

Shringla asserted that India advocates a comprehensive and balanced programme of work to enable the conference to commence negotiations on issues of pressing global importance.

"India is committed to the goal of universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable nuclear disarmament. Our call for complete elimination of nuclear weapons through a step-by-step process, as also outlined in our Working Paper on Nuclear Disarmament submitted to the Conference on Disarmament in 2007 has an enduring relevance,"

he said.

India reiterates its call to undertake the steps outlined in the working paper, including negotiation in the Conference on Disarmament of a Comprehensive Nuclear Weapons Convention, the foreign secretary said.

He said India has supported the immediate commencement of negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament (CD) on a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT).

"I reaffirm today, India's readiness to participate in FMCT negotiations in the CD," Shringla said.

India, as a responsible nuclear weapon state, is committed as per its nuclear doctrine, to maintain credible minimum deterrence with the posture of no-first use and non-use against non-nuclear weapon states, he said.

Shringla said Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS), is another long standing item on the Conference on Disarmament's agenda and India looks forward to an early start of negotiations of a legally binding instrument on PAROS to address pressing issues relating to space security.