Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh asserted Thursday that "circumstances" were not right for India to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). "I don't know whether the circumstances are ripe right now for us to sign the NPT. But we are voluntarily fulfilling all the commitments that go with a responsible power acting with due restraint," he said while addressing a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. "We are a responsible nuclear power. We act with restraint. We have 'no first use' doctrine in place. We have an impeccable record of export control so that any unauthorized use of sensitive nuclear materials can be effectively prevented," Singh added. He pointed out that India has been a victim of the gaps that exist in the non-proliferation system . "We have seen for example the clandestine export of nuclear materials in our region," he said in response to a question. He emphasized that India was committed to working with like-minded countries to strengthen the non-proliferation system. --SP 1511 Local Time 1211 GMT
