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STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT JACOB NENA ON THE
NUCLEAR DETONATIONS BY THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

May 15, 1998

The Government of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) joins the international community in condemning in the strongest terms the initiation of nuclear tests by the Government of India and calls on the Government of India to cease its testing program at once. The decision of the Government of India to commence of nuclear testing is a complete disregard of the expressed will of the international community to ban all nuclear testing. The Government of India's decision to conduct nuclear tests can only lead to a resumption of nuclear tests by those states outside of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and CRBT and accelerate the development of weapons of mass destruction.

The Government of the Federated States of Micronesia has maintained an uncompromising stand on the issue of nuclear testing. The Federated States of Micronesia was amongst the first states to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1996. My government took that stance with the hope that the international community having realized the enormous consequences and threat to mankind of the continued detonation of nuclear devices, will commit themselves to its complete cessation and eventual elimination of weapons of mass destruction. This recent action by the Government of India threatens the global initiative towards disarmament and global peace.