A photo from last year's UN Conference on Disarmament held in Geneva, Switzerland.[/caption]LAHORE: To the sheer surprise of the whole world, India has announced support for Irans presidency of the 65-member Conference on Disarmament-an international forum for the prohibition of the development, production, stockpiling and usage of biological and chemical weapons-thus paying no heed at all to the fact that the United States happens to be one of its largest trading and investment partners.
As figures suggest, in 2011, the US had exported $21.50 billion worth of goods to India, and imported $36.15 billion worth of Indian products. The US also has a direct investment of $9 billion in India, which is roughly 9 percent of total foreign investment that the worlds largest democracy across the border has managed to attract in recent years. It goes without saying that the Indo-US political and social relationship is a classic example of being an extremely strong bilateral bondage.
Media reports from India suggest that while the United States and Canada have boycotted the Conference on Disarmament since the Persian republic took over the presidency on May 27 under the pretext that countries under United Nations sanctions should not be allowed to be in charge of global bodies, the Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai believes it was an honour to speak during the presidency of Iran.
Interestingly, India has twice voted against Irans nuclear programme at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), though at the United Nations, India believes Iran enjoyed equal rights like other countries on the world map.
This is what a leading Indian media outlet has recently commented on this development: In a rebuke to the US, India (on Tuesday) declared support for Irans presidency of the Conference on Disarmament, the UNs panel on nuclear disarmament.
This Indian media outlet states: Indias stand of support comes days after Hassan Rouhani, former nuclear negotiator and a moderate in Iranian politics, was elected president, surprising hardliners and the world alike.
It quoted Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai as saying: Questioning the relevance and authority of established multilateral disarmament frameworks is misplaced when in fact the current impasse is more due to the obstacles placed in its path rather than any inherent institutional deficiencies.
Foreign Secretary Mathai was further quoted as opining: It is unfortunate that this conference has been prevented, on one unconvincing pretext or another, from commencing substantive work in the immediate context on an FMCT (Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty) or for that matter on issues that command strong support from members of this conference, be it on nuclear disarmament, negative security assurances or on measures to prevent the weaponisation of outer space.By the way, the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty is a proposed international treaty to prohibit the further production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other explosive devices.
By The News International
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