Tuesday, May 3 2005 08:11 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington/ United Nations: The US is going full steam ahead on its demand for "universal" adherence to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and said all nations, including India and Pakistan, would have to adhere to the agreement to have "full relationship" with the rest of the world.

"I think one thing that will be re-emphasized or reiterated in his (US representative's) remarks (at the Non-proliferation review conference) will be that we believe in universal adherence to the Non-Proliferation Treaty," White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters when asked whether US President George W Bush "is going to put pressure on India - his friends, India, Pakistan and Israel - to shut down their nuclear arsenals".

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher echoed similar sentiments when asked about the issue of nuclear arsenals of India and Pakistan, at the regular briefing yesterday (May 2, 2005).

When a correspondent asked why he did not mention India and Pakistan, which have developed nuclear weapons and whether the two south Asian countries were not "better off" than countries without nuclear weapons, Boucher said, "I don't think so but I am sure they would debate that."

"But the point is that for countries to have the kind of full relationships they want to have with people in the world, with other countries, it is important for people to become members in good standing in the NPT.

"We have advocated universal adherence. We had advocated even the universal application of the Additional Protocols, giving the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the authority to inspect any nuclear facility in any non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to inspect any facility without advance notice.

Admitting that the nuclear NPT was out of date, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan yesterday called for tighter controls to stop proliferation of fissile material.

"The plain fact is that the regime has not kept pace with the march of technology and globalisation, and developments of many kinds in recent years have placed it under great stress," Annan said inaugurating a month-long NPT Review Meet.

Delegates from about 190 countries listed to Annan at the UN headquarters as he asked the international community to act to strengthen the treaty before "the gap between promise and performance becomes unbridgeable".

He said the member nations must strengthen confidence in the integrity of the treaty, particularly in the face of the first withdrawal announced by a State.

Referring to withdrawal of North Korea from NPT, he said unless such "violations" are directly addressed, "the most basic collective reassurance on which the treaty rests would be called into question."

India is not a party to the treaty as it considers it discriminatory because it allows some States to keep their nuclear arsenal and does not call for complete elimination of the atomic weapons.

Annan called for making compliance more effective to maintain confidence that States are living up to their obligations.

Stressing on the need for steps to reduce the threat of proliferation to both states and non-state actors, he said it is the "universal obligation" of all states to establish effective national controls and enforcement measures.