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Talbott will push CTBT at meeting with Jaswant Singh

US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, during his meeting with Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Jaswant Singh in Frankfurt, Germany, on Thursday, will urge India to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Jaswant Singh, who meets Talbott as special envoy to Prime Minister Vajpayee, had his first meeting with Talbott on June 12 but they failed to break the stalemate in their talks on the nuclear issue.

The US, backed by the P-5 and G-8, wants India to sign the CTBT immediately and without any precondition.

State Department spokesman James Rubin, who gave the information about the ensuing Talbott-Jaswant Singh meeting yesterday, said the deputy secretary had discussions with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief's envoy Sahebzada Yaqub Khan. Their talks reportedly failed to make any headway, according to informed sources.

''We are going to be discussing with them (India and Pakistan) the question of how they can make the wise decision to join the CTBT,'' Rubin said, adding ''But, we are not there yet by any stretch of the imagination.''

When his attention was drawn to reports from New Delhi that India was willing to sign the CTBT in return for the export of hi-tech, Rubin avoided direct comment and instead said the issue would be discussed during Talbott's meetings with Jaswant Singh.

Apparently, he was aware of the clarification issued by the Government of India, denying any change in its policy on the CTBT.

UNI

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