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Disarmament DiplomacyIssue No. 10, November 1996Australia and India discuss disarmamentIn late October, Australia and India held amicable talks on arms control issues. Both sides stressed the need for a nuclear disarmament process aiming at deep cuts and involving all the declared nuclear-weapon States. In the words of Australia's Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, speaking in New Delhi on 23 October:"There is great scope for cooperation between Australia and India on nuclear disarmament issues... [We need to seek agreement] on a total road map for how we move towards the ultimate objective of the elimination of nuclear weapons." Downer maintained that India's rejection of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty "hasn't been a cause of tension in our bilateral relations at all." Report: Australia, India look past nuclear test ban split, Reuter News Reports, 23 October. © 1999 The Acronym Institute. |