New Delhi: The revised text of the draft India waiver to be considered at next week's NSG meeting is ready with some changes being incorporated in it, sources said in the Capital on Thursday. The Indian side is expected to examine the draft in a day or two to give its clearance for its introduction at the September 4-5 meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group depending on whether its objective of 'unconditional' exemption is ensured.
In the draft, the US is believed to have attempted to strike a balance between addressing the concerns of the sceptic nations and ensuring that it is free of conditionalities. Though India has held preliminary discussions with the US over revision of the draft, it will be keen to see that the revised document does not contain any language or elements that would bind it in lieu of the waiver.
Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, who is in Washington, has held discussions with US Under Secretary of State William Burns on the draft soon after several NSG members at the August 21-22 meeting sought changes in it to address their non-proliferation concerns. India has been insisting on an "unconditional" waiver and made it clear that it would walk away if the waiver was found to bind it.
Around 15 countries particularly New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland and Norway have voiced apprehensions over grant of waiver to India since it has strategic nuclear programme despite which it is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). At the last NSG meeting in Vienna, the sceptic countries suggested at least 50 amendments to the draft to make it acceptable to them.
To ensure smooth sailing at the September 4-5 meeting of the NSG, the US is continuing its lobbying efforts to convince the apprehensive countries about the initiative for India. As part of these efforts, US Ambassador David Mulford has been meeting envoys of New Zealand, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Norway and Austria which have reservations to grant of exemption. (PTI)
US says bringing N-deal with India into fruition a 'priority'
Washington: The United States on Thursday said that its 'priority' right now is to bring the Indo-US civil nuclear deal into fruition. State Department spokesman Robert Wood's remarks came to a question on the status of the administration's consideration of the scrapping of a civilian nuclear agreement with Russia in the context of the developments related to Georgia.
"... All I would say is that we're looking at various options in terms of our response to Russia's aggression in Georgia. ... The priority for the administration right now is to try to bring into fruition the US -- the 123 agreement with India and that civil nuclear cooperation agreement. That's where our focus is right now," Wood said. "But I don't have anything to say here about what steps we may or may not take at this point with regard to Russia's aggression against Georgia," he added. (PTI)
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