But we will not oppose entry of any other country.
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A day after external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj struck a note of optimism on the issue of India’s entry into the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group, China, a sustained opponent of this attempt, has come up with a dampener.
India and Pakistan, both are bidding for the membership to NSG, with New Delhi already being backed by many countries, including the USA, and Islamabad by Beijing. China has been opposing India’s entry on the grounds that it is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). “I am hopeful that we would be able to convince China as well to support our entry to the NSG”.
On the question of the U.S. backing India’s entry, Hua pointed out that it was Washington that first came up with the rules for NSG membership and linking it to the NPT. Mr Jaishankar had conveyed to Beijing that it should focus on India’s credentials in non-proliferation instead of merely the criteria for admission to NSG. The NSG allows member countries to export civil nuclear technology, equipment and material to India.
The prospect of India entering the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) was met with cautious optimism on Sunday.
Dispelling the impression of a delay in pursuit of the NSG membership case, they observed that Pakistan has remained proactively engaged with the Group since the advent of this millennium and there was no substance in such misperceptions.
There have not been any ministerial visits to these countries, Swaraj said. Swaraj touched upon a range of issues including government’s engagement with the diaspora, India’s position on South China Sea dispute and targeted killing by suspected Islamists in neighbouring Bangladesh.
Her comments suggest the focus of the Seoul plenary could first be on arriving at an understanding on the entry of all non-NPT countries, which could later pave the way for considering India’s specific bid.
“Aaj jab Bharat bolta hai, duniya sunti hai (Today when India speaks, the world listens)”, she told the media in New Delhi. “In Seoul this year there is no such topic either”, she said in Beijing.
Interior Minister said that according to Pakistan, most prominent Hindu extremist organisations like RSS, Shiv Sena and their influence and connections with the Indian government were the biggest barriers in normalising relations with India.
“The inclusion of non-NPT members has never been a topic on the agenda of NPT meetings”.
The External Affairs Minsiter said India’s ties with the United States has improved significantly, adding the government will not undermine national interest while pursuing good relations with that country.
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He called upon the Indian minister not to give a personal tinge to the ties between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. We think that the application of each country should be considered on the basis ofheir merit, ” she added.
