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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)


August 1998 India
Special Weapons News

  • Department of State Daily Briefing , AUGUST 26, 1998 INDIA-PAKISTAN Deputy Secretary Talbott's meetings took place on August 24 and 25 " I really don't have anything to say except I understand they were positive meetings. Clearly, when we have something to announce we will do so, and I'm not in that position."
  • India won't accept flawed non-proliferation regime The Times of India 24 August 1998 -- India will not accept a ``flawed'' non-proliferation regime as the international norm, when all realities conclusively demand the contrary, Prime Minister's special envoy Jaswant Singh said on the eve of the fourth round of talks between India and the United States over adherence to comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT) and other nuclear issues.
  • Nuclear deal on the cards Kanti Bajpai Rediff on the Net 20 August 1998 - 'While the US publicly rejected the idea of a deal, the fact that it agreed to talks with India suggest it was reconciled to some sort of bargain. The high level talks and the speed at which the meetings were held indicate that Washington understood that something beyond the normal course of diplomacy was required.'
  • N-bombs are useful only when they are not used Rediff on the Net 14 August 1998 - President K R Narayanan said there was an ''inescapable need '' for India and Pakistan, after they had acquired nuclear capability, to settle their differences peacefully and through negotiations. ''We exploded the bomb not with the intention of using them. In fact, they are useful, in any sense, when they are not used'', the President said.
  • New Pak foreign minister swears by old dogma on India Rediff on the Net 13 August 1998 - In an interview a week after switching from finance minister to foreign minister, Sartaj Aziz said Kashmir must be the centre of negotiations between the two countries. If the Indian side wants to use discussions of other issues to relegate Kashmir, then the other issues of course will not move forward, he said.
  • India after Pokhran II - M.L. Sondhi The Hindustan Times 13 August 1998 -- It is necessary on military grounds that there should be continued missile testing pending border settlements with China and Pakistan. The central issues with regard to the CTBT for India are that signing it should not freeze India into an intolerable position of strategic inferiority. The FMCT (fissile materials cut-off treaty) will entail levels of inspection by international agencies which we might find offensive.
  • Core elements of India's N-stance By Umashanker Phadnis Dawn 12 August 1998 The core elements of India's "evolving nuclear doctrine" were spelt out recently in parliament by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Among other things, these elements are also meant to determine whether or not India will sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as its stands.
  • India starts work on powerful missile Dawn 12 August 1998 India has begun developing a new and more powerful version of its current medium-range ballistic missile. Defence Minister George Fernandes said the new model would have a longer range than the existing "Agni" intermediate-range missile, which can carry a nuclear or a conventional warhead up to 1,500 kilometres. Fernandes did not specify the range of Agni-II, but experts say it can travel around 2,000 kilometres with the same one-tonne payload as the first phase model.
  • Army rules out war with Pakistan Rediff on the Net 12 August 1998 - There is no danger of the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir triggering another Indo-Pak war, the Indian army has said.
  • Second phase of Agni Daily News 12 August 1998 -- The Government has approved the development of second phase of the intermediate missile Agni, with a longer range of 2,500 kilometeres.
  • Govt nod for Agni-II Rediff on the Net 11 August 1998 - The government has approved the development of the second phase of the Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Agni, Defence Minister George Fernandes announced today.
  • Indo-Pak dialogue -- A damp squib Savita Pande Rediff on the Net 11 August 1998 - As Pakistan has to make crucial decisions on the nuclear front before the next round of talks in Washington later this month, it is likely to make a last ditch effort to internationalise the Kashmir issue. It is in this light that Pakistan-abetted killings need to be seen. In fact as time approaches for the third round of US-Pakistan nuclear dialogue, Pakistan is likely to step up belligerence across the LoC.
  • Sanctions will not deter us, says Vajpayee The Times of India 11 August 1998 - Mr Vajpayee said that India's status as a nuclear weapons power enabled it to pursue the goal of speedy nuclear disarmament with greater vigour and success.
  • India says it's committed to nuclear disarmament Dawn 11 August 1998 India on Monday embraced global nuclear disarmament and criticized major nuclear powers for urging restraint while sitting on big stockpiles of nuclear arms. "A few nations are sitting on huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons," Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee told scientists at India's premier nuclear research centre, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). "And insisting on collective restraint on the part of the rest of the world is an inherently unstable proposition."
  • Coca-Cola colonials Amulya Ganguli The Hindustan Times 10 August 1998 -- Nothing expressed the harsh reality about colonialism better than Hillaire Belloc's memorable lines that "whatever happens, we have the Maxim gun and they have not." The Maxim gun of today is, of course, the nuclear weapon, and the reason why the US wants to retain its overwhelming superiority in his field is that it has taken upon itself the task of being the new colonial masters of the world, once again running an empire on which the sun never sets.
  • PoK should be reclaimed, feels George The Hindustan Times 10 August 1998 -- Defence Minister George Fernandes has said that areas of Jammu and Kashmir that are under Pakistani occupation would have to be reclaimed. And the part of J&K under Chinese occupation can't be "lightly dismissed" either, he has said.
  • Nuclear command to rest with political leadership Rediff on the Net 10 August 1998 - Defence Minister George Fernandes says India's nuclear command and control system would rest with the political leadership and will necessarily be exclusively its own.
  • Hiroshima, Mon Amour Rajeev Srinivasan Rediff on the Net 10 August 1998 - If China were to nuke India with no fear of retaliation, I suspect there would be some hand-wringing and some breast-beating by the Yanks et al, but then they'd move on to the next headline. Just like they did with the Chinese conquest of Tibet. A million vaporised Indians will be forgotten.
  • Will there be a war? Rajiv Shukla Rediff on the Net 09 August 1998 - Will there be a war with Pakistan? The way things are going the situation looks more dangerous than usual. Granted, that battles along the Line of Control is nothing new, but this is at a level not witnessed during the last two decades. In Delhi, many feel the Bharatiya Janata Party government may get provoked by the series of massacres in Jammu and Kashmir and may go for tough measures against Pakistan to save its image. This, they feel, would enhance the possibility of a war.
  • Abdul Kalam hits out at anti-nuclear zealots The Times of India 08 August 1998 - The father of Indian missile programme APJ Abdul Kalam is unfazed by the anti-nuclear demonstrations that took place in the Capital on Hiroshima Day on Thursday. In a direct, hard-hitting fashion, he said, ``What I would like to tell our so- called intellectuals is that they should worry about the 10,000 nuclear warheads manufactured by the US and the same number manufactured by the former Soviet Union and put pressure on these governments to reduce them to the zero-level. Then they should worry about creating a zero-level for India.''
  • INDIA-US FOURTH ROUND OF TALKS India Press Information Bureau 08 August 1998 -- The fourth round of talks between Inida and the united States scheduled here for August 24 and 25 is expected to be crucial putting into "Sharper and better" focus their two-month-old dialogue on the divisive nuclear issue.
  • INDIA / KASHMIR Voice of America 06 August 1998 - INDIAN AUTHORITIES SAID THURSDAY THE DISPUTED KASHMIR BORDER IS QUIET AFTER A WEEK OF HEAVY CROSS-BORDER ARTILLERY FIRING BETWEEN THE INDIAN AND PAKISTANI ARMIES.
  • INDIA / ANTI-NUCLEAR Voice of America 06 August 1998 - ON HIROSHIMA DAY THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA, THOUSANDS OF CITIZENS HELD A PEACE MARCH IN THE INDIAN CAPITAL CALLING ON THE GOVERNMENT TO HALT ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM.
  • Cong(I) cautions Centre on signing CTBT The Hindu 06-08-1998 :: Pg: 13 :: The Congress(I) has cautioned the Vajpayee Government against signing the CTBT in its present form, and demanded that the Centre must take the two Houses of Parliament into confidence before it decides to sign the treaty. The Congress(I) leaders are convinced that in the garb of ``Vajpayee doctrine'' the BJP-led coalition is preparing itself to succumb to American pressure on the CTBT.
  • Statement by Ambassador Savitri Kunadi in the Plenary Meeting of the Conference on Disarmament 06 August 1998 -- India has consistently maintained that the only credible guarantee against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons lies in their total elimination. Until this objective is reached, as an interim measure, there exists an obligation on part of the nuclear weapon states to assure non nuclear weapon states against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, as also that these weapons will not be used as instruments of pressure, intimidation and blackmail. This obligation should be of an internationally legally binding character, clear, credible, universal and without discrimination.
  • Row over Solarz testimony against curbs on India The Hindustan Times 06 August 1998 -- Testimony by a former United States Congressman Stephen Solarz on the need for removing sanctions against India has stirred controversy following a disclosure that his firm has been engaged by India as lobbyist.
  • Congress fears government will buckle and sign CTBT Rediff on the Net 05 August 1998 - The Congress Party said it was against signing the CTBT in the present form and that the government should take Parliament into confidence before deviating from the well-laid policy on this issue.
  • India spells out nuclear doctrine The Hindustant Times - 05 August 1998 -- India today announced its nuclear doctrine when Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee dealt with the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in his statement to the Lok Sabha.
  • CTBT only after Parliament's nod The Hindustant Times - 05 August 1998 -- Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today assured the Lok Sabha that any future adherence to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) would be subjected to national security considerations, and only after Parliament had been taken into confidence
  • India evolves nuclear doctrine The Times of India 05 August 1998 - India on Tuesday revealed for the first time what the officials in the Prime Minister's Office and the ministry of external affairs described ``elements'' of its ``evolving nuclear doctrine.'' The doctrine was enunciated by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee while participating in the debate on India's foreign policy in the Lok Sabha. Its detailed elaborations were provided subsequently by the officials.
  • No first use declaration The Times of India 05 August 1998 - Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee declared that India would not undertake the first use of nuclear weapons. He added that India would be prepared to strengthen this commitment by undertaking bilateral agreements.
  • FOR INDIA, DISARMAMENT OR EQUAL SECURITY By Jaswant Singh, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission of India International Herald Tribune - August 5, 1998 - India's nuclear policy remains firmly committed to one basic tenet: In a world of nuclear proliferation, our national security lies either in global disarmament or in the exercise of the principle of equal and legitimate security for all.
  • Prime Minister's statement on CTBT in Lok Sabha August 4, 1998 - "India remains committed to this dialogue with a view to arriving at a decision regarding adherence to the CTBT. In 1996, we stayed out of the CTBT principally with national security as our only guide. That remains entirely unaltered."
  • Prime Minister's statement on CTBT in Lok Sabha on 04 August 1998 -- After concluding the series of tests on May 13, India immediately announced a voluntary moratorium on further underground nuclear test explosions. In announcing this moratorium, India accepted the basic obligation of a test ban. In 1963 too, when we had wanted a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty what the international community concluded instead was only a Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT).
  • INDIA / KASHMIR Voice of America - 04 August 1998 -- VAJPAYEE ACCUSED ISLAMABAD OF SHOWING NO INTEREST IN A BILATERAL DIALOGUE WITH INDIA BECAUSE IT WANTS INTERNATIONAL MEDIATION ON KASHMIR.
  • INDIA-PAK NUKE / DOCTORS Voice of America - 04 August 1998 -- LEADING U-S, SOUTH ASIAN, AND RUSSIAN PHYSICIANS HAVE JOINED THE INTERNATIONAL OUTCRY AGAINST THE RECENT INDIAN AND PAKISTANI NUCLEAR WEAPONS TESTS.
  • Akash missile test fired The Times of India 04 August 1998 - India has successfully test fired the indigenously built multi-target surface-to-air missile (SAM) Akash which can deliver nuclear and conventional explosives in a range of 25 km. The 650-kg missile blasted off on Monday from a mobile launcher.
  • US advises public statement on CTBT The Hindustan Times 03 August 1998 - The United States has advised the Vajpayee Government to make a public declaration of its intention to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
  • STATEMENT ON SAARC SUMMIT PRIME MINISTER SHRI ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE IN LOK SABHA/RAJYA SABHA ON 3 AUGUST 1998 -- I take this opportunity to bring Honourable Members up-to-date on the most recent events, especially SAARC, our relations with Pakistan, and the recent ARF and ASEAN dialogue meetings.
  • Pakistani firing toll rises to 30 The Times of India 03 August 1998 -- The Line of Control (LoC) was by and large quiet on Sunday except for sporadic shelling in the Gurez and Macchil sector. The toll in Pakistani shelling over the past four days has gone up to 30. Among those killed are seven military and paramilitary soldiers.
  • Pak. firing toll rises to 34 The Hindu 03 August 1998 -- Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fire for the fourth consecutive day today on the Jammu and Kashmir border while the toll in the Pakistani troops' firing and shelling rose to 34. Three persons, including two women, were killed in unprovoked shelling by the Pakistani troops in the Uri sector in Baramulla district today.
  • India, Pak talks breaks down over Kashmir The Hindustan Times 01 August 1998 - India has rejected Pakistan's 'non-paper" on Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) with regard to the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, which Pakistan said, was the core problem between the two countries.
  • SAARC snubs Pakistan, accept India's proposals The Times of India 01 August 1998 -- The SAARC on Friday snubbed Pakistan for suggesting a stability, peace and security initiative in the region, accepted Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's proposals for new initiatives in economy, science and technology and health.



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