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CTBT signing won't affect Pak N-status, says Sattar

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar on Sunday said that Pakistan is a declared nuclear weapon state and signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) will not alter its status.

Talking to a panel of APP journalists here, Sattar said that Pakistan did not need a certification for its nuclear status. The international community does not deny this fact.

When questioned on US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbot's statement acknowledging India as a de facto nuclear state, Sattar said, that US Assistant Secretary Karl Inderfurth also said the same about Pakistan.

He said the nuclear status of Pakistan would not be affected by signing the CTBT.

Sattar said that the CTBT is a unique treaty as it would not come into force unless signed and ratified by 44 countries who either possess the nuclear weapons or can produce fissile material.

Sattar clarified that even if Pakistan signs the Treaty, it would not forego its right to conduct further tests, if India does it further.

This non-discriminatory principle is contained in Article 14 of the CTBT was incorporated in 1996 and Pakistan was in the forefront among the movers of this amendment.

Before this amendment became part of the CTBT, he himself had opposed signing it. But then Article 14 incorporated the linkage between Pakistan and India in the text of the Treaty. After the treaty changed, it was no longer necessary to oppose it.

"Whether Pakistan and India become parties to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty or not, that would not affect the nuclear status of either country or their right to maintain and even develop their nuclear arsenals", said the foreign minister.

Sattar said that the word "recognition" of nuclear status is used in the context of the non-proliferation treaty, which was negotiated over 30 years ago. Then there were only five declared nuclear weapons states. Amendment of that treaty is a different and difficult proposition, he added.

Questioned when Pakistan is going to sign the CTBT he said the government "is in no tearing hurry".

The purpose of the on-going debate is to promote better understanding of what this treaty is and what it is not.

Asked about critics claim that CTBT signing will result in rollback of Pakistan's nuclear programme, Sattar urged them to read the text of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Its only object is to prohibit nuclear tests explosions. Pakistan would never agree to rollback, he said.

Sattar said, "some 156 countries have signed the Treaty. They include not only all the other major Muslim countries but also China and Israel. Have they agreed to give up their nuclear arsenals?

"If either one does not become a party, the Treaty just cannot enter into force. So it has become irrelevant which country signs first", he said.

Asked if Pakistan have to open its nuclear plants to foreign inspection if it signs the CTBT, he said, "Not at all. There is no such provision in the Treaty. The verification procedure is meant for preventing cheating".

If a party conducts at nuclear explosion, 337 seismic stations and other laboratories around the world will monitor the effect. Visits to the site of the suspected explosion can then be authorised by the Executive Council with at least 30 votes out of 51 members. If any country is found to have made a false accusation it will be subject to penalties, said Sattar.

On the question of building a consensus on the CTBT, he said actually every government has been in favour of it.

The foreign minister said that in 1996 Pakistan voted in favour of the Treaty. In September 1998 the then Pakistani prime minister announced in the UN General Assembly that Pakistan would sign the treaty if sanctions were lifted.

Most knowledgeable commentators favour CTBT signing. Most of those who speak against do not seem to know what the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty is. It is or earnest effort to explain the Treaty so that people understand that it would have no adverse impact on our nuclear weapon programme.

"Let me state that maintenance of credible nuclear deterrence capability is indispensable for Pakistan's security. Pakistan continues to pursue the nuclear option with determination and no pressures and sanctions have been allowed to deter us from that path", said the foreign minister.

To a question, if simulation tests be enough to keep updating Pakistan's nuclear deterrence, Sattar said, research and development contribute to upgradation of technology.

That can and will continue even if and when the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty comes into force. Similarly, Pakistan will be free to expand its arsenal.

"Let us remember, however, that deterrence does not depend on ultimate sophistication of design. Pakistan has possessed credible nuclear deterrence since before we conducted tests in May 1998", Sattar added. APP