India votes against UNGA resolution on nuclear weapons

United Nations, Dec 3: India, along with the US and Pakistan, has voted against a provision in a UN resolution calling on to "promptly" accede to the NPT as non-nuclear- weapon nation "without conditions" and to place all its nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards.

A draft resolution on achieving a nuclear weapon-free world and accelerating the implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments was adopted in the UN General Assembly session yesterday by a recorded vote of 169 in favour to 7 against with 5 abstentions including by Bhutan and China.

Prior to the passage of the draft as a whole, a separate vote was also taken on operative paragraph 9, which stressed the fundamental role of the NPT (non-proliferation treaty) in achieving nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and urged India, Israel and Pakistan to accede to it as non-nuclear-weapon States promptly and without conditions and to place all their nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

The provision was retained by a recorded vote of 165 in favour with India, Israel, Pakistan, the US voting against and Bhutan, France, the UK abstaining. India, Isreal and the US also voted against the preambular paragraph 24, which emphasised the importance of a successful 2015 NPT Review Conference.

The provision was retained by a vote of 166 in favour and three abstentions from France, Pakistan and the UK. The Assembly also retained operative paragraph 11, which urged all States to work together to overcome obstacles within the international disarmament machinery and immediately implement the three specific recommendations from the 2010 Review Conference Action Plan, by a recorded vote of 167 in favour to 3 against and 4 abstentions including India.

India, Isreal and the US also voted against a provision which would emphasise the importance of a successful 2015 Review Conference.

The provision was retained by a recorded vote of 166 in favour with 3 abstentions (France, Pakistan and UK). The general Assembly also took up the draft resolution, 'Towards a nuclear weapon-free world: accelerating the implementation of nuclear disarmament commitments' and adopted by a recorded vote of 169 in favour with India along with Israel, the UK, the US voting against the resolution.

PTI