India, Pak should ratify CTBT: Commission

UNITED NATIONS: An independent commission seeking ways to end the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction has recommended that all nuclear weapon states, including India, Pakistan, United States and China, ratify the CTBT which prohibits all nuclear weapon testing.

The panel, headed by former UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix, also wants New Delhi and Islamabad to join states which have declared a moratorium on the production of fissile material pending a treaty and increase transparency in the nuclear and missile activities.

"The reality is that if the U.S. were to ratify (the CTBT), then China would. If China did, India would. If India did, Pakistan would. If Pakistan did, then Iran would. It would set in motion a good domino effect," Blix told a news conference at which he released the report Wednesday.

In the recommendations which would not be to the liking to several States, the panel suggested that both Iran and Israel commit themselves against enriching uranium under international safeguards as part of wider effort to establish a mass destruction weapon free zone in the Middle East.

"As confidence building measures, all states in the region (Middle East), including Iran and Israel, should for a prolonged period of time commit themselves to a verified arrangements not to have any enrichment, reprocessing or their sensitive fuel-cycle activities on their territories," said the Commission.