Mere willingness to sign the treaty was not adequate for the US to lift the sanctions and much remained to be done including actual signing and ratifying the treaty, finding a formula for a moratorium on fissile materials and structuring a restraint regime on nuclear weapons and their means of delivery, secretary of state Madeleine Albright told media persons.

She was reacting to announcements made by the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers at the UN General Assembly expressing readiness to sing the treaty before September 1999 provided sanctions were lifted.

Prime Minister AB Vajpayee told the assembly yesterday that India was ready to sign the CTBT before September 1999 provided sanctions were lifted and otherconcerns met.

US President Bill Clinton welcomed the announcements and said, ``It is my strong hope that India and Pakistan will join the list of signatories to the CTBT and thereby reduce the nuclear tension in South Asia.''

Albright said India and Pakistan also had to demonstrate their intent to avoid a nuclear arms race and actual strengthening of their export control regime.

Stating that he was encouraged by Vajpayee and Sharif's expressed willingness to sign the treaty by September 1999, Clinton said, ``I look forward to further discussions with the leaders of Pakistan and India as we emphasise our common obligation to build peace and stability.''

Sharif and Clinton discussed the treaty on Monday at a meeting in New York on the sidelines of the assembly, where Sharif announced Pakistan's readiness to sign the CTBT.

The White House is yet to decide whether Clinton will reschedule a cancelled visit to India and Pakistan. Clinton's visit was cancelled after the two countries conducted nucleartests in May last.

In his statement, Clinton also urged the senate to ``give its advice and consent as early as possible next year'' on the ratification of the CTBT.

The US was the first country to sign the CTBT but it is yet to ratify it.