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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee Thursday mounted a vigorous defense of New Delhi's nuclear weapons program in a speech to Congress in which he hailed a "historic" moment in Indo-U.S. ties. Vajpayee told a joint session of senators and representatives that differences over security had "cast a shadow" over recent relations between the two countries. "India understands your concerns. We do not wish to unravel your non-proliferation efforts. We wish you to understand our security concerns." "We have much in common and no clash of interests," said Vajpayee in the speech delivered sitting down at a dais in front of the House of Representatives. Alarmed at the prospect of a nuclear arms race on the subcontinent, the U.S. imposed economic sanctions on India after it conducted nuclear arms tests in 1998, triggering a tit-for-tat response from Pakistan. Many of those sanctions still remain, as Washington presses the Indian government to join the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty - a pact that India rejects as weighted in favor of established nuclear powers. In an apparent veiled reference to the those sanctions, which India describes as an impediment to better relations, Vajpayee urged the U.S. government to "remove the shadow of hesitation that lies between us." But Vajpayee said that despite its nascent nuclear arsenal, India was still committed to fighting for a nuclear free world. "We both share a commitment to ultimately eliminating nuclear weapons. We both have declared voluntary moratoriums on testing." Vajpayee's visit, which includes talks with President Bill Clinton, comes at a time of increasing convergence of Indo-U.S. relations after years of Cold War suspicion when India leaned towards the Soviet Union, and the disruption of the 1998 weapons tests. "We are at a historic moment in our ties. As we embark on our common endeavor to build a new relationship, we must give practical shape to our shared belief that democracies can be friends, partners and allies," Vajpayee said. |
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