India won't support Iran's nuke ambitions: PM

MARSEILLES: Making it clear that India will not support Iran's nuclear weapon ambitions, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday joined the European Union(EU) in asking Tehran to "re-establish" confidence in the nature of its nuclear programme.

But in some balancing act, Singh, however, said that Iran as a signatory of to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was entitled to all that is needed to develop its civil nuclear programme for which it must undertake all the obligations.

"We do not support nuclear weapon state emerging in our region. So, there is no question of supporting nuclear weapon ambitions of Iran," Singh said at joint news conference at the end of the ninth India-EU Summit at this resort town in French Riviera.

"Iran is a signatory to the NPT and as a signatory it is entitled to all that is needed to develop civil nuclear energy programme. And as a NPT signatory it must also undertake all the obligations that go with it," he said when asked to comment on Iran's controversial nuclear programme.

The Iran issue figured at the summit which called on Tehran to take steps to re-establish confidence in the nature of its nuclear programme as required by the IAEA.