For further information contact: Arjun Makhijani or Michele Boyd, (301) 270-5500 M E D I A    A D V I S O R Y Nuclear Dangers in South Asia: Prospects for Disarmament Regionally and Globally WHAT:: A press briefing to meet with the former chief of the Indian Navy, Admiral L. Ramdas (retired), an advocate of nuclear disarmament. He will discuss the current military crisis between India and Pakistan as it relates to terrorism and the risk of nuclear war. In this context, he will discuss the prospects for nuclear disarmament in South Asia and globally. WHERE: National Press Club, First Amendment Room, 13th Floor, 529 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC WHEN: Tuesday, February 26 at 10 AM WHO: Admiral L. Ramdas, retired chief of the Indian Navy, is currently the Chairperson of the Indian chapter of the Pakistan India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy and a member of the National Committee of India's Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace. His writings on Indian-Pakistani relations, nuclear matters, peace, and disarmament have been featured in many newspapers and journals. Admiral Ramdas will discuss the military tensions between India-Pakistan and how it relates to the U.S. War on Terrorism in Afghanistan. He will analyze the Indian position on no-first use of nuclear weapons in the context of its conventional military power and Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf's recent offer of a No War Pact with India and "denuclearization" of South Asia, which India has rejected. He will also address the prospects and conditions for regional and global nuclear disarmament and how nuclear risks might be reduced in the interim. Dr. Arjun Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, will host and facilitate the briefing. WHY: Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated rapidly in the wake of two terrorist attacks last fall - one on the Parliament in Kashmir's capital of Srinagar and the other on India's Parliament House in New Delhi. India has accused Pakistan of harboring and supporting the terrorists responsible for the attacks. There is now a standoff at the India-Pakistan border, with both nuclear-armed states amassing troops there. Pakistan has taken some actions to arrest suspects but not to the satisfaction of India. Admiral Ramdas will discuss the military tensions between India-Pakistan and how it relates to the U.S. War on Terrorism in Afghanistan. He will analyze the Indian position on no-first use of nuclear weapons in the context of its conventional military power and Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf's recent offer of a No War Pact with India and "denuclearization" of South Asia, which India has rejected. He will also address the prospects and conditions for regional and global nuclear disarmament and how nuclear risks might be reduced in the interim.