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The circumstances are 'not ripe' for India to join the NPT, India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, October 7, 2004

In his first comments on India's nuclear weapons policy, since becoming Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh has ruled out any imminent move to join the NPT.

At a press conference with Germany's President Gerhard Schroeder, Dr Singh was asked if India might sign the NPT "one day", however Singh replied that the circumstances were "not ripe" for India to sign the NPT "right now".

Dr Singh stated, "We are a nuclear power, but we are a responsible nuclear power. We act with restraint. We have a no-first use doctrine in place."

"Also, we have an impeccable record of export controls so that any unauthorised use of sensitive nuclear materials can be effectively prevented."

Dr Singh said that India would not accede to a treaty allowing its neighbors to export nuclear materials. "We are victims of the gaps that exist in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty." Referring to Pakistan, he said, "We've seen the clandestine export of nuclear materials in our region."

Source: New York Times and The Hindu.

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© 2003 The Acronym Institute.