By NNN-PTI
United Nations : Strongly favouring total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, India has said its vision of “universal, non-discriminatory and comprehensive” nuclear disarmament was “more relevant” today as peaceful use of nuclear energy can help fuel development.
“It is disarmament that is our agreed goal and that subsumes arms control and non proliferation,” External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, adding India would bring proposal in the United Nations General Assembly to refocus on general and complete disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament.
Addressing the 192-member UN General Assembly here last evening, he pointed that steps to achieve complete elimination of nuclear weapons have made “little headway” and “despite some progress, the world remains far from achieving the objective”.
“India’s long standing commitment to universal, non discriminatory and comprehensive nuclear disarmament is embodied in the vision of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for ‘nuclear-free and non-violent world’.” The vision put forward two decades ago remains “undiminished”, he said, adding “it is more relevant today given the fact that peaceful uses of nuclear energy can address the inexorably growing demand for new and non-polluting sources of energy to fuel economic development.
The Minister warned that the risk posed by the intersection between proliferation and terrorism “is real and serious” and called for zero tolerance towards all forms of terrorism.