United Nations: India has said it remains committed to the goal of global nuclear disarmament, asserting that indivisible security that the world is entitled to is possible only by eliminating all nuclear weapons.

"Despite being compelled to exercise our nuclear option in order to preserve our strategic autonomy, India remains committed to the goal of global nuclear disarmament," India's permanent representative to the Conference of Disarmament, Rakesh Sood, said.

He said India plans to move a resolution in UN Disarmament and International Security Committee shortly, asking Secretary General of the world body to undertake a study on issues related to "terrorism and weapons of mass destruction" with the help of a panel of government experts and submit the report to the General Assembly in 2003.

The matter has attained urgency as the greatest danger today arises from prospect of individual terrorist or a non-state group acquiring and using such a weapon, he said.

Sood said it is not sufficient to address the problem behind closed doors of selective clubs as the issue has global implications.

In this context, he told the Committee during a debate that India plans to bring forward once again a resolution calling for a convention to be negotiated for prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any circumstance.

India has been bringing a resolution on the subject since 1982 as a part of its firm belief that nuclear weapons have no place in the arsenals of any country.

Sood decried the "discriminatory nature" of existing nuclear non-proliferation regimes, which, he said, has resulted in their failure and thus compounded the problem.

He asked all nuclear weapon states to take steps to re-assure the world that they will reduce the risk of accidental or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons until "unequivocal" undertakings given for the total elimination of nuclear arsenals are honoured.

"There is no justification for thousands of nuclear weapons to be maintained in a state of hair trigger alert with possible disastrous consequences," he told the Committee.

In this context, India plans to move a resolution on reducing the nuclear danger for the fifth year in succession in the hope that it would receive wider support and "convince those who are still skeptical of the need for early concrete action," he said.

Sood said India, which assumes the presidency of the Geneva based Conference on Disarmament (CD) from January 1, 2003, is committed to participate constructively and in good faith in Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) negotiations to develop a non-discriminatory and verifiable treaty to prohibit production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear devices.

India, he said, is also committed to prevent further 'militarization' and 'weaponisation' of outer space, which in its view, should be preserved for the full range of co-operative, peaceful and developmental activities.

India's attempt, Sood stressed, would not be to seek procedural fixes but to ascertain whether there is preparedness and political will on the part of all concerned to find a solution.

PTI