A day ahead of the crucial meeting of the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group in Vienna, the mood in the capital is sombre.
NEW DELHI: A day ahead of the crucial meeting of the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group in Vienna, the mood in the capital is sombre. There is realisation that despite hectic lobbying by both New Delhi and Washington, many NSG members with strong domestic non-proliferation commitments will attach conditions to any waiver being granted to India.
Austria, New Zealand, Ireland, Norway, Netherlands and Finland have made it clear that while they are willing to consider India’s needs, they are also keen on preserving the tight non-proliferation regime. India has to give a commitment to sign the
Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and stop the production of fissile material. Neither of these options are open to PM Manmohan Singh, who has gone ahead with the nuclear agreement despite the opposition of key politicial parties in India. In fact, this is the first time in India’s 61 years of independence that consensus has broken down on foreign policy issues.
In an op-ed piece by Democrats Edward J Markey and Ellen O Tausher published in
The New York Times on Wednesday, the two lawmakers have asked the NSG not to allow India to get an unconditional waiver. Markey a well known non-proliferation activist has termed the US administration’s request for exemption for India as “dangerous” and believes that Iran and North Korea would use the precedent to their advantage. The two have urged the NSG to put conditions on the waiver. “Thankfully, there is an easy solution. The group can say yes to nuclear trade with India if two simple conditions are met. First, India must sign the CNTBT, a step already taken by 178 other countries and every member state of the NSG. After all, why should the group’s members grant India a huge exemption from the rules that they have to follow?”
It goes on to give a second suggestion. “…by closing down its manufacturing of new plutonium and highly enriched uranium, India would prove to the international community that opening up nuclear commerce would not assist... its nuclear weapons programme,” the paper said.
Markey was merely echoing what several NSG members have quietly being saying.
g_seema@dnaindia.net
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}