Tuesday, December 21 2004 18:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Asserting there was no ambiguity on UN reforms, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today (Dec 21, 2004) made it clear that India must have veto rights as a permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC).

Clearing the air over the recent controversy on the issue, he told Rajya Sabha, "There is no ambiguity in our stand. There is no confusion. We do not believe there should be any discrimination in the Security Council (on Veto rights)."

Observing there was "no clarity" on what shape the Security Council reforms would eventually take, he said it was "premature" for the Government to "pre-judge" the issue at this stage.

Responding to clarifications by former External Affairs- Minister and BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leader Yashwant Sinha on his statement on foreign policy-related issues in both Houses of Parliament, Singh brushed aside apprehensions over the country's nuclear policy.

"There is no ambiguity about our nuclear policy. India is a nuclear weapon state and we are a responsible nuclear power, " he said adding the country was committed to promoting non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament.

On Indo-Pak ties, he said Confidence Building Measures (CBM's) could not move forward if the flow of terrorists from across the border goes "without any check and without control".

He said India would go by the situation on the ground and was committed to what was agreed between Musharraf and then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Jan 6, 2004 this year.