In a strong statement that will obviously annoy Tehran no ends, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asserted that there was no question of India supporting the nuclear weapon ambition of Iran.
“We don’t support a nuclear weapons state in our neighbourhood,” Singh said at a press conference here at the end the ninth India-EU summit.
With French President and European Council President Nicolas Sarkozy standing beside him, Singh noted that Iran was a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). While Tehran had the right to develop its civilian nuclear programme, it also had certain obligations under the NPT, which it must fulfil.
The situation in Pakistan also figured during talks between Singh and Sarkozy.
The French President asked Islamabad to commit itself to root out
terrorism without any reservations. The European Union would extend all possible assistance to Islamabad to stamp out the menace.
“If Pakistan effectively deals with terrorism, there is no question of pursuing of terror elements in the Pakistan territory,” Sarkozy said, adding that the people of Pakistan had a right to enjoy peace and security.
