No. Date

Ml 5 January 1989

COMMONWEALTH

PARLIAMENTARY LIBRARY  MICAH

NUCLEAR AGREEMENT BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN

The Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade,  the Hon Kim  Beazley,  has described as "a positive step" the agreement  signed by India and Pakistan on 31 December 1988 on the  prohibition of attack against each other's nuclear

installations.

Mr Beazley said that uncertainty about the nature of each  country's nuclear facilities was a cause of concern, not only  to India and Pakistan, but to other regional countries and to  the wider international community. He said that one of the  Australian Government's principal concerns was to avert the

prospect of a nuclear arms race in South Asia.

The Acting Minister's remarks follow Australia's receipt of the  text of the agreement on 4 January.

"Australia hopes the agreement will serve as a first step  towards other confidence building measures which will, in turn,  offer each country assurances that the other's nuclear program  was entirely for peaceful, non-explosive purposes.  It is

important for regional and global security that other countries  may similarly be assured of the peaceful nature of nuclear  programs in the region," Mr. Beazley said.

Mr Beazley said that Australia looked forward to the day when  India and Pakistan could both become members of a wider  non-proliferation regime and thereby accept International  Atomic Energy Agency safeguards on all their nuclear facilities

