RBDMG@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu (Sekhar@RutVM1.Rutgers.Edu Ramakrishnan) (06/08/91)
========================================================================== Source: The New York Times From: RBDMG@cuvmb.cc.columbia.edu (Sekhar@RutVM1.Rutgers.Edu Ramakrishnan) ========================================================================== New Delhi, June 7 - India today rejected Pakistan's request for international talks on creating a zone free of nuclear weapons in South Asia. Reiterating India's position that regional nonproliferation pacts are meaningless, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said India stood behind its call for a "nuclear-free world." There was no indication that the Foreign Ministry had consulted PM Chandra Shekhar, who is out of New Delhi on a campaign tour and has not commented on the proposal himself. Pakistani officials had hoped for a less disappointing response from Mr. Shekhar, with whom PM Nawaz Sharif says he has been in frequent contact. The spokesman said India viewed the new Pakistani proposal for a five-nation meeting as "a propaganda exercise and a tactic by Pakistan for diverting international pressure to give up its nuclear weapons program." Pakistan, which says it cannot agree to international inspection until India does, said Thursday that its proposal was modeled on regional pacts in Latin America and the South Pacific. The plan called for talks among the US, the USSR, China, India and Pakistan. ======================================================================= Edited to suit the needs of misc.news.southasia, a moderated news group