1998 PRIME Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today asserted India's commitment to the goal of global nuclear disarmament and elimination of nuclear weapons within a time-bound framework and cautioned that a monopoly of nuclear weapons with five countries could not be a stable basis for a world nuclear order.

In an interview to news agencies, the prime minister, who is attending the NAM summit in Durban next week, said New Delhi would continue to support initiatives in this area.

"Nam is committed to negotiating such a convention that would be universal, non-discriminatory, verifiable and legally binding, as in the case of conventions on chemical and biological weapons," Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee said.

He stressed that at a time when opinion in the west, including nuclear weapon states, is veering towards this view, it is more essential than ever to maintain and reinforce NAM's traditional thrust on nuclear disarmament." Stating that the priorities of NAM continued to be core issues of peace, disarmament and development, Mr Vajpayee remarked these could be achieved only through solidarity, collectivism, tolerance and populism.

"Intolerance and conflict can lead us nowhere. Instead of frittering away energies in disputes, NAM countries should work together so that the common agenda of promoting and achieving peace, disarmament and development could be carried forward with full vigour he said. Mr. Vajpayee said the nineties have demonstrated the continued relevance of NAM even as the majority of developing countries which constitute its membership face new challenges and opportunities in the post-cold war world.

He underlined the need for NAM to deal with these challenge from a position of strength that underpinned by their solidarity. Calling for a unified response from NAM countries on issues like nuclear disarmament, combating terrorism, negotiations in the World Trade Organisation and environment, Mr Vajpayee said the grouping should reassert their unity and solidarity for common positions.

The prime minister said there was a pressing need for NAM members to develop a new agenda for the south behind which all members should unite.

"To ensure broad acceptance and solidarity, such an agenda need to include all the major concerns of countries of the south, notwithstanding the varying degree of interest and commitment" that they individually might be facing, he said. Mr Vajpayee said only then would NAM be able to have a major say in the forthcoming international economic negotiations and ensure that its concerns were placed squarely at the centre of the global agenda.

The prime minister noted that the first and second oil crises in 1973 and 1979 and the debt crisis of the 80s had severely weakened many NAM countries.