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Supporting
worldwide understanding of South Asian non-proliferation, arms control and
disarmament issues.
The Journal of South Asian
Non-Proliferation
is a Product of the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI)
CONTENTS
NUCLEAR
RELATED ISSUES
India asked to end ties with military Iran
Indian politics stall U.S.-Indian nuclear deal
India approaches IAEA for talks on safeguards agreement
India for prioritization of disarmament
Pervez Musharraf ‘protecting nuclear arsenal’
Russia wants new nuclear contracts in India-Ivanov
U.S secretly aid Pakistan in guarding nuclear arms
MISSILE RELATED ISSUES
China set to launch next manned spacecraft in Oct. 2008
India successfully conducts missile interceptor test
India tests surface-to-air missile near Pakistan border
Pakistan test-fires medium range missile
Russia, India sign new lunar deal
SUMMARIES
India
asked to end ties with military Iran, Khalid Hassan, Daily Times, November,
2007. The author in the Daily Times reported that As Indian politicians
get down this week to make-or-break discussions on the stalled Indo-US
nuclear deal, a leading congressman has asked New Delhi to first break
economic and military ties with Iran. Edward J Markey, Democratic member from
Massachusetts, who is a
proponent of the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), pointed out in a
statement that in December 2006 when Congress granted preliminary approval to
the US-India nuclear cooperation agreement, it laid down a requirement
regarding India’s
“full and active participation” in efforts to end Iran’s
nuclear weapons programme.
Indian
politics stall U.S.-Indian Nuclear Deal, Wade Boese,
Arms Control Today, November 2007. The author reports that domestic political
opposition has compelled India’s
government to put off required negotiations with the world’s nuclear
monitoring agency, miring in doubt a U.S.-Indian initiative to peel back U.S.
and multilateral civil nuclear trade restrictions on India.
The two governments maintain they remain committed to the effort.
India
approached IAEA on safeguards agreement, Islamic Republic News Agency,
GlobalSecurity.Org, November 19,
2007. Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) has reported that After
green signal from the Left parties, the Indian Government will approach the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for talks on the safeguards
agreement that is crucial for implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal.
India
for prioritization of disarmament, Islamic Republic News Agency, GlobalSecurity.Org,
November 14, 2007.
The Indian-Disarmament-Foreign Minister, noting that challenges of
non- proliferation cannot be addressed by merely focussing
on supply-side technology
control, India
has sought prioritization of disarmament as a step towards delegitimizing nuclear weapons. He also added that India's
participation as a full partner in a new global consensus on
non-proliferation would strengthen global efforts in this arena.
Pervez Musharraf ‘protecting nuclear
arsenal’, Colin Freeman, Telegraph.co.uk, November 18, 2007. Pakistan's
military ruler defended his iron grip over the country yesterday, saying it
was the only way to prevent his nation's nuclear arsenal from falling into
"the wrong hands". As he sought to justify continuing the emergency
rule that he declared two weeks ago, President Pervez
Musharraf raised the nightmare spectre of Islamists
getting hold of Pakistan's
nuclear weapon
Russia wants new
nuclear contracts in India-Ivanov, RIA-Novosti, November
26, 2007. On November
16, 2007, RIA-Novosti reported
that Moscow is seeking new
contracts to continue nuclear construction work in India.
Russia has
been building the Koodankulam plant in the southern
province of Tamil
Nadu since 2002, and has already delivered two
nuclear reactors to the facility.
U.S
secretly aids Pakistan in guarding nuclear arms, David E. Sanger and
William J. Broad, The New York Times, November 18 2007, On 18th
November 2007, the New York times reported that over the past six years, the
Bush administration has spent almost $100 million on a highly classified
program to help Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s
president, secure his country’s nuclear weapons, according to current
and former senior administration officials. But with the future of that
country’s leadership in doubt, debate is intensifying about whether Washington
has done enough to help protect the warheads and laboratories, and whether Pakistan’s
reluctance to reveal critical details about its arsenal has undercut the
effectiveness of the continuing security effort.
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Missile & Space
RELATED ISSUES
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China
set to launch next manned spacecraft in Oct. 2008, RIA-Novosti, GlobalSecurity.org, November 20, 2007. China
is planning to launch its next manned spacecraft in October 2008, a
researcher at the China Academy of Space Technology
(CAST) said on Tuesday. The spacecraft Shenzhou VII
with three astronauts on board is likely to lift off after the Beijing
Olympic Games
in 2008, Pang Zhihao was cited as saying in the
Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post, adding that during the mission the
astronauts will carry out a space walk.
India successfully conducts
missile interceptor test, ANI, December 2, 2007. On December 2, 2007, India
successfully carried out the first test of a single stage interceptor missile
against an electronic ballistic missile as target from Wheeler
Island off the Orissa coast. Sources
in the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) said that interceptor missile was
fired at 10.44 a.m. The
Endo-atmospheric interceptor intercepted the missile at 15 kilometres altitude exactly as designed for high
supersonic speed, they said. All the elements of Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) required for control and monitoring
performed in a copybook fashion validating the design of the
"Endo-atmospheric" layer of BMD system.
India
tests surface-to-air missile near Pakistan border, Forbes, IDRW, November
23, 2007. India
tested an air defense missile at a site close to its tense border with Pakistan
where it conducted a string of nuclear detonations in 1998. Military
scientists tested the medium-range surface-to-air missile Akash,
or Sky, from Pokhran, some 200 kilometers (120
miles) from Pakistan's
borders last week but gave details of the flight only on Wednesday. The
flight was carried out in near-secrecy from Pokhran,
where nine years ago India
tested a string of nuclear weapons including a thermo-nuclear device and
sparked global sanctions against New Delhi.
Pakistan
test-fires medium range missile, The Associated Press, Islamabad,
December 2007. The author reported that Pakistan had successfully test-fired
a medium-range cruise missile capable of delivering nuclear warheads.The launch of a new version of the Hatf-VII or Babur missile, which has a range of 435
miles, was "part of a continuous process of validating the design
parameters set for this weapon system," an army statement said. It
didn't disclose the site of the missile test, but said it will
"consolidate Pakistan's
strategic capability and strengthen national security."
Russia,
India sign new lunar deal, RIA-Novosti, GlobalSecurity.Org, November 12, 2007. Russia's
Federal
Space Agency (Roskosmos) and the Indian Department
of Space have signed a joint lunar research
and exploration agreement, the Russian agency said on Monday. The agreement
was signed by Roskosmos chief Anatoly Perminov and Madhavan Nair,
secretary of India's
Department of Space and chairman of the Space Commission.
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South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI)
The South Asian Strategic
Stability Institute (SASSI) is an independent think tank dedicated to
promoting peace and stability in the South Asian region. SASSI
contributes to the international debate on contemporary South Asian
security issues through this and other substantive products.
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Journal
of South Asian Nonproliferation Issues
Produced by: SASSI, 36 Alie St., Aldgate East, London, E1 8DA, UK
Copyright 2007 All rights reserved.
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