'Will sign CTBT if there is N-disarmament'

Washington, Mar 24: India has put down its foot stating that it would not sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) which is a top priority of the Obama's administration unless the world moves 'categorically towards nuclear disarmament in a credible time-frame'.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Special Envoy for Nuclear Issues and Climate Change, Shyam Saran, on Monday, Mar 23 said, "CTBT is an issue that has been seen as potentially, a contentious one in our relations with the new US administration."

"President (Barack) Obama has made clear that he will seek Senate ratification of, which the US has signed, and India has not", he said in a keynote speech at The Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank on 'The US-India Nuclear Agreement: Expectations and Consequences'.

"India has been a consistent votary of a CTBT but did not sign the CTBT as it eventually emerged because it was not explicitly linked to the goal of nuclear disarmament," the former foreign secretary said.

OneIndia News