Delhi unlikely to get smooth ride at nuclear meeting

New Delhi: With some hawks in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) likely to prove difficult customers at its first meeting on August 21, India is bracing for a second meeting in early September that could be decisive in swinging the remaining sceptics to support its nuclear deal with the US.

"It looks like there will be a second meeting of the NSG. Some countries have strong sensitivities on nuclear non-proliferation issues and we are working to address these concerns," a senior official who is privy to the government's nuclear diplomacy said.

"We are not into semantic quibbles. We are looking for clean exemption and we are hopeful of getting it," the official said when asked about India's insistence on getting unconditional exemption from the 45-nation NSG. India is not a member of the NSG.

He also confirmed that issues in the draft text of the exemption the US is seeking for India have been resolved after removing a contentious paragraph about full-scope safeguards which could have a bearing on India's strategic programme. "India's strategic programme is outside the ambit of the civil nuclear deal. The world knows our position on the NPT [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] and CTBT [Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty]," he explained.

"But this does not ensure a smooth ride at the forthcoming NSG meeting. Some members have very strong positions and they are bound to raise them at the meeting," the official said.

India has refused to sign the NPT and CTBT as it contends these treaties divide the world into the nuclear haves and nuclear have-nots. New Delhi has, however, committed to a voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing.

The US has circulated the draft to NSG countries seeking an amendment in the guidelines of the nuclear cartel in favour of restoring global nuclear commerce with India. Germany, the current chair of the NSG, has called for a meeting of the cartel August 21 to 22 to discuss the exemption for India.