India committed to voluntary moratorium on Nuke tests : Menon

New Delhi, May 4 (UNI) India has expressed commitment to voluntary moratorium on nuclear tests and exhibitd readiness to engage in negotiations in a non-discriminatory Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty.

It also asked Pakistan to do more to curb cross-border terrorism and said it was critically important that Islamabad fulfil its commitment not to allow any part of its territory to be used against India.

Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, in an address on 'India and International Security' at the International Institute of Strategic Studies, said India believed that general and complete disarmament, including nuclear, must remain on the international agenda.

India's status as a Nuclear Weapon State did not diminish its commitment to the objective of a nuclear weapon free world, Mr Menon said.

Aspiring for a non-violent world order, nuclear disarmament continued to be an important plank of India's nuclear policy characterised by restraint, responsibility, transparency, predictability and a defensive orientation.

''We maintain our voluntary moratorium on tests, are ready to engage in negotiations in a non-discriminatory Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, and we enforce strict and comprehensive export controls, which have now been harmonised with those of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the Missile Technology Control Regime,'' he said.

The Foreign Secretary said India had scrupulously not transferred enrichment and reprocessing technologies to countries that do not have them, and had supported international efforts to halt their spread.

Recent events had shown that a new global consensus on non-proliferation was required, based on an equal partnership of responsible states.

''As a responsible nuclear power with impeccable credentials on non-proliferation, we are ready to be a partner against proliferation, working closely to create a new consensus on which to move forward,'' he said.

On Pakistan, he said Islamabad needed to do more to curb cross-border terrorism which continued with ''seasonal fluctuations''.

For India, it was critically important that Pakistan fulfil its commitment not to permit any part of its territory to be used to support terrorism in any manner.

Asserting that a stable, moderate and prosperous Pakistan at peace with itself and its neighbours was in India's interest, the Foreign Secretary said that in the last three years, the composite dialogue had greatly improved the atmosphere between India and Pakistan, addressing all issues including Jammu and Kashmir, bilaterally.

''Unfortunately, however, despite a Joint Anti-Terrorism Mechanism, more remains to be done by Pakistan to curb cross-border terrorism which continues with seasonal fluctuations. For India, it is crucially important that Pakistan fulfill its commitment not to permit any territory under its control to be used to support terrorism in any manner,'' he added.

Mr Menon said the security situation in Afghanistan could not be addressed without Pakistan's active cooperation and India believed that the political stability and economic prosperity of Afghanistan was in the interests of both Pakistan and India.

Afghanistan could still re-emerge as a region where routes converge and radiate, by hosting energy corridors for oil and gas and transit routes between some of the world's great emerging markets. But this would require all of us in the region to work together, he added.

UNI