ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 26 (UPI) -- Following days of talks, India and Pakistan have made considerable progress on the nuclear risk reduction draft pact.
Officials from the two countries concluded the fourth round of expert-level talks on nuclear confidence-building measures in Islamabad Thursday. The leaders of both the Indian and Pakistani delegations said they were confident that they could finalize the text of the draft agreement at the next round of talks.
"The draft agreement prepared by India was exchanged at the last round of the dialogue in New Delhi in August. At the latest round Pakistan not only presented its view on the Indian draft, but also made its own suggestions for incorporation," said a statement released by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.
"We have had a good round, covering a number of areas in the draft agreement. A few differences remain and we hope to finalize the agreement in the next round," said Osman Tariq Haider, a senior official at the Pakistani foreign office.
Haider said the objective of the proposed pact is to reduce the risk from accidents relating to nuclear weapons through radiological leakages, and follows from the framework of the memorandum of understanding between the two countries arrived at Lahore in February 1999.
"The two sides further undertake to notify each other immediately in the event of any accidental, unauthorized or unexplained incident that could create the risk of a fall-out with adverse consequences for both sides, or an outbreak of a nuclear war between the two countries," the agreement said.
