Narrow national interests obstructing disarmament work: India

UNITED NATIONS: India today called on the UN member nations to overcome narrow national interests and misguided notions of parity to break the deadlock at the conference on disarmament.

India also observed that the recent missile tests conducted by North Korea has added to the complexities of disarmament and non-proliferation.

North Korea, in recent weeks, has launched two missiles over Japan and conducted its sixth nuclear test.

Amandeep Singh Gill, the Permanent Representative of India to the Conference on Disarmament (CD), said India has completed its obligations on stockpile destruction under the convention on prohibitions on the use of certain conventional weapons which may be deemed to be excessively injurious or to have indiscriminate effects.

"Narrow views of national security interest and misguided notions of parity continued to obstruct the adoption of a programme of work at the Conference on Disarmament despite promising discussions in the Way Ahead Working Group," he said during a debate of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly.

Gill said it is frustrating that there was no progress at the Conference on Disarmament even after eight years of negotiations.

Expressing concern about the threat of use of biological agents for terrorist purposes, he called on nations to effectively implement the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction.

Gill also called for a continued substantive mandate, adequate funding and the participation of all stakeholders in the group of governmental experts' discussions on the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.