World Tibet Network News Wednesday, May 20, 1998

His Holiness the Dalai Lama was saddened to hear about the series of nuclear tests conducted by India recently.His Holiness has lways been fundamentally against the existence and stockpiling of any wapons of mass destruction. He has consistently called for the need for efforts to ban nuclear and othEr weapons of mass destruction with the objective of achieving demilitarisation, ultimately leading to a nuclear-free world.

He strongly endorses the call by the People's Republic of China, made some years ago, for a ban on nuclear weapons by all countries. As along as some fo the major world powers continue to posess nuclear weaons, it is not right to out rightly condemn India's action. After all, India is a large country with its own secuiryt perceptions. His Holiness hopes that a situation could be ceated in that part of the world whereby countries such as India need not have to seek the nuclear option. Instead, they could concentrate their resouces and talents on social and economic advancement of their people.