• Extracts of Pakistani Prime Minister's Speech on Nuclear Row
  was (but no longer) at http://customnews.cnn.com/cnews/pna.show_story?p_art_id=2599674&p_section_name=World&p_art_type=330237&p_subcat=Pakistan&p_category=Asia
  ASCII text local copy
  Date: Sat, 23 May 1998
  Subject: Pakistan clearly rejects the Test-ban too!

  "The balance of power in the region has been violently tilted. Under these circumstances, our undivided focus must be on the preservation of our national security interests.

  Apart from threatening Pakistan, India is now blackmailing the world by offers of bargain on the CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty). We believe that the Indian actions have rendered the non-proliferation regime and instruments such as NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) and CTBT irrelevant.

  The Indian tests have posed new challenges and dilemmas in the field of non-proliferation. Fresh thinking is now needed on these issues...."

  These comments from Pakistan's Prime Minister's news conference of today clearly shows that Pakistan like India has no intention of joining the current Test-ban either.

  It is vital that those of us involved in opposing nuclear testing understand this and come to grips with it, even if we don't like what we hear!! We need to realize that the point is to prevent a resumption of testing by the other 5 nuclear weapons states, try and stop any more tests by India, and to do what we can to stop anyone else from testing. And to do that while working to get a Test Ban treaty everyone will sign. The real issue is to save the concept of a viable Test Ban, not focus only on trying to save the current treaty that is likely dead. Without both India and Pakistan that treaty can not ever enter into force and they are not going to sign it as is!

  If we are going to have any hope of stopping a full resumption of nuclear testing worldwide, we have to understand that the battle for a Test Ban is far from over and that saving the basic concept of a Test Ban is what is really at stake here, and not just trying to find a way to force India and Pakistan to sign the currently proposed treaty, a treaty neither of them is going to sign. In the case of India the prime reason it won't sign is founded on the fact that the Perm 5 nuclear weapons club has no right to force anybody to do anything as long as they refuse to even discuss giving up their nuclear weapons and development programs. Thus the more we try and force India to sign the current treaty the more we do nothing but prove India's point, which has been a part of their nation's -- not any specific Indian government's -- policy since 1954!

  We must concentrate on saving the Test Ban concept itself and the dreams of humanity that go with it.

  J Truman

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