NSG waiver? Countries oppose India's entry into Nuclear club

Vienna (PTI): A number of countries on Thursday raised questions over grant of waiver to India at the Nuclear Suppliers Group meeting here as the US pushed New Delhi's case hoping for an early consensus on the issue. The NSG, which opened its two-day meetingon Thursday to consider whether or not to allow India to have civil nuclear trade with international community, saw countries having reservations over the waiver raise "important questions that need to be addressed". "The US believes firmly that the steps we are considering for India will strengthen non-proliferation and help to welcome one of the world's largest economies and biggest democracies more fully into the global fold," US Under Secretary of State William Burns told reporters. "I believe they are making steady progress in this process and we will continue to make progress," he said. Burns, who is leading the US delegation at the crucial meeting, said a number of countries raised "important questions that need to be addressed". Sceptic countries including New Zealand, Austria, Ireland and Switzerland are not satisfied even with the revised text that has a provision for regular information by the NSG head about New Delhi's adherence to its guidelines on global atomic trade, a move aimed at mollifying the critics. These countries want certain "elements" added in it saying it would be beneficial for the international non-proliferation architecture. The US official, who presented a revised draft waiver at the meeting, said the discussions have been "constructive and clearly aimed at reaching an early consensus." Underlining that there was a "historic opportunity" to end India's three decades of isolation in the nuclear field, Burns said "that opportunity warrants extraordinary efforts we are making." He said the US is determined to continue to do "all we can by working with NSG partners and India to realise that opportunity." Ahead of the meeting of the 45-nation grouping, an official of one of the sceptic countries told PTI "it is clear that the package which is before us (NSG) still needs some work to achieve the outcome which can be the net gain to the quality of international security architecture." India is keeping its "fingers crossed" and hoping that the US would be able to convince the nuclear cartel for clearing the way for nuclear commerce. Signalling difficulties for the draft proposal, the sceptic countries on Wednesday held a strategy session here to discuss how to approach the meeting. These countries "exchanged ideas" over the matter, an official said. "We recognise the energy needs of India. We recognise importance India attaches to the (Indo-US) agreement. Everybody respects that. But we need to achieve results that would mean net gain for the international non-proliferation structure," he said. "We are going to approach the meeting with a constructive and positive spirit because we are interested in reaching the agreement, but one which strengthens the international nuclear structure," he said. "NPT is one of the pillars of this architecture and nothing should undermine this. Reaching an agreement which will benefit everybody concerned will require imagination and creativity." The US prepared the revised draft after at least 15 countries sought amendments in the text during the last meeting of the grouping on August 21-22.