India rules out signing NPT - Calls it a discriminatory treaty - What do Israel and Pakistan say???

[slipslidingaway]

http://in.news.yahoo.com/20/20090925/1416/tnl-india-rules-out-signing-npt.html

"New Delhi, Sep 24 (PTI)

Shortly after the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution asking non-NPT countries to sign the NPT, India today ruled out signing the agreement saying "It cannot support a discriminatory" pact. "As long as some countries possess nuclear weapons we are not prepared to be supportive of a discriminatory treaty that says some countries can have something and others cannot," Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor told Times Now.

Earlier, India''s Permanent Representative to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri, in a letter to UNSC President Susan E Rice of the US, rejected efforts to impose NPT on New Delhi and made it clear that it will not sign the pact as a non-weapon state as atomic arsenals are integral to its security."

[FarCenter]

1. North Korea signed, but later withdrew

So it is the fourth country that is not a party to the NPT.

[slipslidingaway]

8. Yes, forgot to mention them . n/t

[FarCenter]

2. The US also "shares" nuclear weapons with a few NATO countries

The weapons are under nominal US control, but that control ends in the event of war.

[TheCoxwain]

3. India should wisen up and sign NPT and give up its nuclear arms.

Firstly, India will earn a lot of goodwill among nations. It would put enormous pressure on Pakistan to sign NPT and give up its weapons ( which would be a good thing for India as India has a much more powerful conventional force)

Secondly, in this day and age - no country is out of its mind to use a nuclear weapon.. ( Terrorists are a different matter) - which is more reason why we should not have nukes where possible.

If I were the president of India - I will make a strong case to become the first country to willing give up its nuclear arms.

[lsewpershad]

4. What about

Israel?????????????

[TheCoxwain]

5. Israel is not an overt nuclear state.... not until the day they test a nuclear device.

So they may not have a nuclear weapon for all you know.


But If India/Pakistan sign ... Israel will be left standing alone with North Korea -- Good luck with that position.

[FarCenter]

7. What they have stated publicly doesn't matter -- What the intelligence services know matters.

Just like the fact that the second Iranian enrichment site was not disclosed for a few years.

The CIA knew about it. As did probably most other first-rate intelligence services.

If the CIA hasn't penetrated the Israeli nuclear program, it is not doing its job.

[FarCenter]

6. What good would "goodwill" do India?

India has pretty satisfactory relationships with most countries other than Pakistan.

It has followed a pretty moderate, non-aligned foreign policy.