<p>Officials of more than 180 countries will gather in New York next week for the once-in-a-five year NPT Review Conference.<br /><br />"We don't believe we weakened the NPT in our peaceful civilian nuclear deal with India," Ellen Tauscher, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control, told a tele- conference with reporters in Washington and New York.<br /><br />"It's a deal that comes with safeguards, and it comes with a number of other transparency mechanisms that we think, frankly, add to the security and the nonproliferation concerns that we had prior to that," she said in response to a question.<br /><br />"So I think that, you know, it's not our bad if something else happens, but certainly what we're for and what we make very clear we're for is that we want a strong NPT, we want a strong IAEA that is well funded, that has the authorities it needs to be the right watchdog for the time that we live in," Tauscher said.<br /><br />Responding to a question on China-Pakistan deal on nuclear power plants, the US official refused to speculate but said that these things take a long time.<br /><br />"I am not going to speculate on a future perhaps sale between China and Pakistan. These things take a long time. So I'm going to wait to see how that develops," Tauscher said.<br /><br />The US is disappointed that Pakistan is blocking negotiations on the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty.<br /><br />"I will tell you that I think everyone shares the disappointment that the United States shares, that there is a country (Pakistan) that is blocking the program of work that was a very hard-fought agreement, among the six chairmen -- somewhat historic last year in the conference on disarmament in Geneva -- to move forward on a program of work, to begin negotiations on a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty," she said in response to a question.<br /><br />"As you know, we are for that. (The US) President (Barack) Obama made very clear in his Prague speech a year ago that the United States would move toward negotiation of a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty.<br /><br />"I think we join a lot of our friends and allies trying to persuade that country to step away and let the program of work go forward, because it would be a long negotiation. <br />And certainly that is a good opportunity for them, to make their opinions known and their concerns known," Tauscher said.</p>
<p>Officials of more than 180 countries will gather in New York next week for the once-in-a-five year NPT Review Conference.<br /><br />"We don't believe we weakened the NPT in our peaceful civilian nuclear deal with India," Ellen Tauscher, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control, told a tele- conference with reporters in Washington and New York.<br /><br />"It's a deal that comes with safeguards, and it comes with a number of other transparency mechanisms that we think, frankly, add to the security and the nonproliferation concerns that we had prior to that," she said in response to a question.<br /><br />"So I think that, you know, it's not our bad if something else happens, but certainly what we're for and what we make very clear we're for is that we want a strong NPT, we want a strong IAEA that is well funded, that has the authorities it needs to be the right watchdog for the time that we live in," Tauscher said.<br /><br />Responding to a question on China-Pakistan deal on nuclear power plants, the US official refused to speculate but said that these things take a long time.<br /><br />"I am not going to speculate on a future perhaps sale between China and Pakistan. These things take a long time. So I'm going to wait to see how that develops," Tauscher said.<br /><br />The US is disappointed that Pakistan is blocking negotiations on the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty.<br /><br />"I will tell you that I think everyone shares the disappointment that the United States shares, that there is a country (Pakistan) that is blocking the program of work that was a very hard-fought agreement, among the six chairmen -- somewhat historic last year in the conference on disarmament in Geneva -- to move forward on a program of work, to begin negotiations on a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty," she said in response to a question.<br /><br />"As you know, we are for that. (The US) President (Barack) Obama made very clear in his Prague speech a year ago that the United States would move toward negotiation of a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty.<br /><br />"I think we join a lot of our friends and allies trying to persuade that country to step away and let the program of work go forward, because it would be a long negotiation. <br />And certainly that is a good opportunity for them, to make their opinions known and their concerns known," Tauscher said.</p>