Delhi to host fourth S. Asia nuke non-proliferation commission meet

New Delhi, Sep.29 (ANI): The International Commission on uclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament will hold its fourth egional meeting - for South Asia - in New Delhi on October 24.

Participation in the two-day meeting will include several ommissioners, a number of Advisory Board members and some 20 xperts from around the region.

High-level participation is expected from Governments, think anks/academia and civil nuclear industry. Participants are xpected from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The New Delhi meeting provides a further important opportunity or the Commission to continue investigating all options for itigating nuclear proliferation and promoting disarmament, ncluding the prospects for an effective nuclear weapons free one in South Asia.

The meeting will specifically focus on how regional governments, ivil society actors and civil nuclear industry can effectively eal with the interconnected challenges of non-proliferation, isarmament and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and ontribute to global efforts to dramatically minimise, then ltimately eliminate nuclear weapons.

The countries of South Asia have traditionally been strong dvocates of nuclear disarmament, and new approaches need to be xamined with a view to creating the conditions where the bolition of all nuclear weapons regionally and globally might ecome a reality.

Co-Chairs Gareth Evans and Yoriko Kawaguchi also expect the eeting to consider how the anticipated growth of the civil uses f nuclear can best be managed in a world increasingly committed o non-proliferation and disarmament.

The Commission's report will be issued in early 2010. (ANI)