The International Commission on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament (ICNND) is holding its South Asia regional meeting in Delhi from October 2-4 , 2009. The Commission is co-chaired by Gareth Evans, the former Australian foreign minister and Ms Yoriko Kawaguchi, the former foreign minister of Japan. It has thirteen commissioners from China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, UK and US. The Indian Commissioner is former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra.

Since the four US statesmen, George Schultz, Henry Kissinger, William Perry and Sam Nunn wrote their articles in the Wall Street Journal in January 2007 and 2008 pleading for a nuclear weapons-free world, the concept is being widely discussed in the western world. It has been further reinforced with President Obama’s Prague speech in which he pledged his support to a nuclear weapons-free world. And that support has been reiterated in the latest Resolution 1887 of the UN Security Council presided over by President Obama and attended by heads of state and governments, on the issue of nonproliferation. Resolution 1887 refers, in its preamble, to the “conditions for a world without nuclear weapons in accordance with the goal of the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons...”

Article six of the NPT states: “Each of the parties to the treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and nuclear disarmament and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.” These formulations are being held forth to project NPT as an important milestone on the road to a world without nuclear weapons though President Obama has wondered whether he will see that world in his lifetime. The four US statesmen accept that, on this road of arms control and nonproliferation with reference to which they have advocated further steps, they are unable to see the mountain top of a nuclear weapons-free world.

... contd.