Argentina and South Korea along with several key member nations, including the US, Britain, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, France and Russian Federation, have been supportive of India’s NSG aspirations. However, Pakistan’s NSG bid was not discussed at length, however the presence of the application was the reason for a lot of discussion on countries. “If we don’t get desired results, it only means that we redouble our efforts”, Vikas Swarup, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, told presspersons. After Thursday’s NSG meeting, delegations were asked to revert to their headquarters for fresh instructions. Thirty-eight countries supported India, according to Indian officials.
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A three-hour discussion on India’s membership saw “procedural hurdles persistently raised by one country”, he added.
On a day on mixed developments for India on its membership bid in the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) membership, Canada and Braxil have extended their complete support to New Delhi.
The paper had argued that creating exception for India, which did not qualify to become member as it was not a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, would encourage Pakistan to expand its nuclear capability.
Grossi’s appointment came even as a top U.S. official said that the NSG session in Seoul had ended with a path forward for India’s acceptance as a member.
The United States, which has a nuclear cooperation deal with India, considers it a nuclear power that plays by the rules and is not a proliferator, and wants to bring Asia’s third largest economy into the 48-member group.
“There were huge celebrations that Switzerland and various other countries are supporting us”.
Indian diplomats, led by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, are in Seoul to press India’s case, although they are not the participants at the plenary in the absence of India’s membership.
Not China only, but overall the forty-eight members of NSG are divided over the entry of any country into this club, without making amendments in the existing rules of Group.
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The admission of non-NPT nations like India is not specifically on the NSG’s Friday agenda, but Japan and some other countries are understood to have raised the matter in the opening session of the plenary today. But let me underline that in September 2008, the NSG itself addressed this issue.
