Asia Times: U.S. wants India to specify its nuclear deterrent needs



	January 08, 1999	atimes.com

India-Pakistan

U.S. wants India to specify its nuclear deterrent needs

NEW DELHI - The United States wants India to specify in ''concrete terms'' its requirements in terms of nuclear deterrence so that it is not seen as an ''open-ended threat'' to its neighbours.

''How many missile systems and warheads does India need to have a minimum nuclear deterrent?'' the U.S. ambassador to India, Richard F. Celeste. asked during an interview with Press Trust of India (PTI).

He spoke of ''substantial progress'' in the on-going dialogue between external affairs minister Jaswant Singh and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, but cautioned that ''there is still substantial work to be done."

''Given this country's understanding of the potential threat it faces, I think some expression of what India really wants and needs and strives to achieve in a reasonably specific time, not specific in numbers, but a range, is important to not only help the US understand but also specific neighbours to understand . . . so that there isn't an open-ended threat,'' Celeste said.

Describing Indian government assurances on no-first use of nuclear weapons and not indulging in an arms race as ''encouraging but positive general statements,'' he said New Delhi should be more ''transparent and clear in defining what this notion is as it was ''vital to de-escalating tensions and not getting caught in an unintended arms race in the region."

(Asia Pulse/PTI)

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