South Asia Nuclear Crisis
Special Feature

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Introduction
by Rebecca Johnson, Executive Director of The Acronym Institute

To reflect the gravity of the crisis to the international non-proliferation regime posed by the May 1998 nuclear tests by India and Pakistan, The Acronym Institute is providing a special feature incorporating key statements and reaction from around the world. We have reproduced some statements - from India, Pakistan, the P-5 (China, France, Russia, UK and US) and others - in full. Many statements issued by foreign ministries and in the Conference on Disarmament (CD) contained expressions of shock, dismay, regret and condemnation. Many called on India and Pakistan to desist from further testing and join the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), as well as encouraging them to participate in negotiations, which the CD has yet to commence, on a fissile materials production ban. To avoid repetition, therefore, we have selected excerpts that go beyond or shed interesting light on these generally shared positions.

We will update the special feature at regular intervals. In addition, a detailed commentary on the tests and their implications for regional and global non-proliferation and disarmament efforts is included in Disarmament Diplomacy No. 28, July 1998.

The Government of India - http://www.indiagov.org

The Government of Pakistan - http://www.pak.gov.pk

The South Asian Network - http://www.southasia.net

The official site of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) - http://www.south-asia.com/saarc

Himal, The South Asian magazine (an excellent forum for anti-nuclear views and Analysis) - http://www.himalmag.com

Nuclear Control Institute special page on India & Pakistan (contains many other excellent links) - http://www.nci.org/nci/ind-pak.htm

CONTENTS OF SPECIAL FEATURE

LATEST ADDITIONS

President Clinton's Visit to South Asia, March 2000

Vajpayee/Musharraf Interviews, March 2000

Clinton Adds Pakistan to Tour Itinerary, March 2000

Exchange of Letters Between General Musharraf and Senator Tim Johnson, February 2000

Pakistan Announces Nuclear-Weapons Command-and-Control Mechanism, February 2000

Jaswant Singh-Strobe Talbott Discussions, London, January 2000

Interview with Jaswant Singh, November 1999

India Draft Nuclear Doctrine and Pakistan Response August 1999

India and Pakistan: Ballistic Missile Tests, April 1999

• Statements and Developments June - September 1998

  • India and Pakistan: Statements to the UNGA, September 1998
  • Indian Statement to the CD, August 1998
  • Pakistan Statement to the CD, July 1998
  • Security Council Resolution & Responses from India and Pakistan, June 1998
  • Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, Press Statement, June 1998
  • P-5 Foreign Ministers Meeting, Geneva, June 1998
  • Statements to a Special Session of the CD, June 1998
    • Statement by India
    • Statement by Pakistan
    • Statement delivered by New Zealand on behalf of 47 States

• I. India Nuclear Tests

  • A. Statements by India
    • Statement to Parliament by Prime Minister Vajpayee, 27 May
    • Vajpayee letter to President Clinton, 12 May
    • Joint Statement of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), 17 May
    • Government Press Release, 15 May
    • Press Conference by Weapons Scientists, 17 May
    • Other Comment (former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar; former Finance Minister Chidambaram; Communist MP Indrajit Gupta)
  • B. Statements by Pakistan
    • Statement to the CD, 14 May
  • C. International Comment
    • UN (Secretary-General Annan; Security Council; General Assembly; Under-Secretary General for Disarmament Dhanapala)
    • G8 (15 May statement)
    • Australia (Foreign Minister Downer)
    • Canada (Foreign Minister Axworthy)
    • China (Foreign Ministry statements)
    • Denmark (Foreign Ministry statement)
    • Finland (Prime Minister Lipponen)
    • France (Foreign Ministry & Government statements)
    • Germany (CD Statement; Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development)
    • Iraq (Al-Thawra newspaper)
    • Japan (Chief Cabinet Secretary; Statement to the CD)
    • Kazakhstan (Ministry of Foreign Affairs Statement)
    • Malaysia (Foreign Ministry statement)
    • Russia (President Yeltsin; Foreign Minister Primakov)
    • South Africa (Foreign Ministry statement)
    • Sweden (Foreign Minister Persson; Foreign Aid Minister Schori)
    • Ukraine (Foreign Ministry statement)
    • UK (Foreign Secretary Cook)
    • US (President Clinton; Fact Sheet on Sanctions; Secretary of State Albright; Senator Jesse Helms; Rep. Newt Gingrich)
    • Other Reaction (Dalai Lama)

• II. Pakistan Nuclear Tests

  • A. Statements by Pakistan
    • Comment & Statement by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, 28 May
    • Remarks by Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmed, 30 May
    • Remarks by Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan, 31 May
    • Interview with chief weapons scientist, 31 May
    • Statement to the CD, 28 May
  • B. Statements by India
    • Foreign Ministry statements, 28 May
    • Foreign Ministry statements, 31 May
    • Other Comment (Prime Minister Vajpayee; Defence Minister Fernandes; former Prime Minister Gujral)

  • C. International Comment
    • UN(Secretary-General Annan; Security Council; General Assembly)
    • NATO-Russia (Joint Permanent Council statement)
    • IAEA (Director General El Baradei)
    • 47-State Statement to the CD (Delivered by New Zealand)
    • Australia (Foreign Minister Downer)
    • Canada (Prime Minister Chretien; Foreign Ministry statement)
    • Chile (Foreign Ministry statement)
    • China (Foreign Ministry statements)
    • France (Foreign Ministry spokesperson)
    • Germany (Foreign Minister Kinkel)
    • Japan (Chief Cabinet Secretary)
    • Russia (Foreign Ministry spokesperson; Ambassador Vasily S. Sidorov)
    • South Africa (Foreign Ministry statement)
    • UK (Foreign Secretary Cook)
    • US (President Clinton; Defense Secretary Cohen; Deputy Defense Secretary Talbott)

© 1998 The Acronym Institute. All rights reserved. You are welcome to copy and use this information provided that you credit the author and publication (where appropriate) and The Acronym Institute. For permission to reprint items, please contact the author(s) and The Acronym Institute.

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