India has suggested a "meaningful dialogue" among all nations possessing nuclear weapons to build trust and confidence and to reduce the salience of atomic weapons in security doctrines. India's permanent representative to the Conference on Disarmament, Ambassador DB Venkatesh Varma said India has supported the proposal put forward by the Non-Aligned Movement for the Conference on Disarmament to commence talks on a Comprehensive Nuclear Weapons Convention.

"We have called for a meaningful dialogue amongst all states possessing nuclear weapons to build trust and confidence and for reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in international affairs and security doctrines," Varma said. "India attaches the highest priority to global, non- discriminatory, verifiable nuclear disarmament and the complete elimination of nuclear weapons in a time bound manner," he said.

"At a time of growing mistrust and rising international tensions, the role of this Commission as a platform for dialogue and cooperation assumes greater significance. The Commission can do more to improve it functioning by undertaking focused and result oriented discussions on items on its agenda," he said.

Initiation and adoption of Confidence Building Measures must remain the prerogative of states concerned and subject to their consent and must be implemented in a manner that relevant states are comfortable with.

By Premji