South Asia Nuclear Crisis

India and Pakistan Nuclear Tests, 1998

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.

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)