No unilateral nuke disarmament, says Pak president

Pakistan President Farooq Leghari has reiterated his country's commitment to nuclear non-proliferation, but ruled out any unilateral decision without similar pledges by India.

At a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda in Islamabad, Leghari expressed concern over the threat posed by India's deployment of the Prithvi missile and the development of long-range missiles, an official Pakistani announcement after the meeting said.

Ikeda, the first Japanese foreign minister to visit Islamabad in nine years, also met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief.

Earlier, Japan had asked Pakistan to take the lead over India in signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and join hands with the rest of the world in eliminating the nuclear threat.

Nohuaki Tanaka, spokesperson for the Japanese foreign minister, said during Ikeda's meetings with Leghari, Sharief and Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan, he had discussed bilateral and regional issues with special reference to nuclear non-proliferation, CTBT, regional security, economic liberalisation, privatisation and foreign investment.

Ayub Khan told Ikeda that Pakistan was not against signing the CTBT. Ikeda assured the Pakistani foreign minister that he would try to convince India to sign the treaty when he visits New Delhi later this week.

Japan, Tanaka said, hoped that the cause of nuclear disarmament would be advanced in South Asia following the signing of the CTBT by almost all the major countries of the world.

The Kashmir issue was also discussed at the talks. Tanaka said Japan maintained complete neutrality on the issue, adding that it would be a welcome step if India and Pakistan resolved all outstanding problems through dialogue so as to reduce tension in the region.

UNI