India, Pakistan sign missile test deal
Agencies, Islamabad/ Bhubaneshwar
India and Pakistan yesterday signed a deal requiring them to notify each other of plans for ballistic missile tests, a key step in the peace process between the two nuclear-armed rivals. Indian External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and his Pakistani counterpart, Khursheed Kasuri, announced the agreement after talks that they described as cordial and constructive. Groundwork for the deal was laid in talks in the Indian capital of New Delhi last month. "The agreement entails that both countries provide each other advance notification of flight tests that it intends to undertake of any surface-to-surface ballistic missile," the Indian side said in a statement. "India has now handed over a draft memorandum of understanding on measures to reduce the risks of accidental or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons under the control of both countries," the statement said. (AP, AFP)
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