Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print

China "belligerently" led opposition to India’s membership of NSG at a three-hour post-dinner meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group here tonight which ended in a deadlock.

Preceding the 2-day plenary of the 48-member NSG, which began today, China had repeatedly said that India’s membership was not on the agenda and is said to have made every effort to prevent any discussion on India’s bid. However, Japan is believed to have raised India’s case in the morning session after which it was agreed that the matter would be taken up at the special post-dinner meeting.

Indian official sources said that China was joined by Austria, Ireland and Brazil among other countries which questioned as to how a country like India which had not signed the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty(NPT) can be admitted to the grouping. Essentially their opposition was couched in principles and processes.

Brazil’s objections are said to have surprised the Indian diplomats who pointed out that it is a member of the 5 -nation BRICS grouping. Besides India and Russia, the grouping includes Russia, China and South Africa.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, who is camping here, had earlier met the Brazilian delegation.

Officials said that discussions were inconclusive and that it would only be clear before the end of the plenary tomorrow.

’NSG applications of Pak, India should be considered together’

 Pakistan today said its application for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group should be considered "simultaneously" with that of India on the basis of "uniform and non-discriminatory" criteria.

"The applications of Pakistan and India cannot be considered in isolation from the goal of maintaining strategic stability in South Asia," Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said at his weekly media briefing here.

He said Pakistan was making efforts to muster support of the NSG members for its membership bid.

"It has been our consistent position that the question of NSG membership for non-NPT states must be dealt with in accordance with a single, uniform, non-discriminatory and fair criteria. Therefore, it is absolutely essential for NSG to consider the Indian and Pakistani applications simultaneously and in an even-handed manner," he said.

Pakistan’s membership of the 48-nation grouping is in the interest of nuclear trading countries as it will further promote NSG’s non-proliferation objectives by the inclusion of a state with nuclear supply capabilities and its adherence to NSG guidelines, Zakaria claimed.

"I must also tell you that Pakistan has all the credentials to be a part of the NSG. Our position has been reiterated time and again," he said while highlighting that a meeting in this regard was also held with an American delegation led by Rose Gottemoeller, the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.

"The US delegation recognised Pakistan’s significant efforts to harmonise its strategic trade controls with those of NSG’s," he said.

Zakaria said with regards to relations with neighbours, Pakistan was guided by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s vision of good neighbourly relations, including with India.

"We want to resolve all issues with India through dialogue, including the Kashmir dispute, which is the best way," he said.

Zakaria said Pakistan’s position is very clear that dialogue is the best way to resolve all problems and when dialogue starts, all the issues will be discussed.

"We have not attached any pre-conditions to it and we also expect that India will not attach any pre-conditions too. I recall that on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Meeting, both sides had agreed that no incident should have any bearing on dialogue and I think this statement is still valid," Zakaria said.

Pakistan has repeatedly highlighted the imperative of a sustained and result-oriented dialogue on all issues including Kashmir, he said.

Zakaria said the Indian Foreign Secretary was scheduled to visit Pakistan by mid-January but he did not on the pretext of the Pathankot incident.

"The visit is overdue. We have not yet received new dates from the Indian side. After the Pathankot incident, Pakistan extended sincere cooperation. During JIT visit whatever intelligence and information the Indian side shared that is being examined," he said.

’India’s NSG bid to be discussed at a special meeting’

 India’s bid for NSG membership will come up tonight at a special post-dinner meeting of the 48-nation grouping’s plenary, whose two-day deliberations began here today.

Although admission of members like India which are not signatories to the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is not on the agenda, Japan and some other countries are understood to have raised the matter in the opening session.

Thereafter, it was agreed to consider a number of unscheduled items including India’s application at a special session after dinner, informed sources said.

It was not immediately clear that whether the discussion on India’s membership, which is strongly opposed by China, and few other countries will come up informally or in a more formal way.

Indian diplomats, led by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, are here to lobby, although they are not the participants at the plenary in the absence of India’s membership.

The Indian team includes Amandeep Gill, head of ’Disarmament and International Security’ division in the External Affairs Ministry.

About 300 participants from 48 member countries are attending the plenary which was preceded by official-level session that began on June 20, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry.

While the US and France have issued statements ahead of the plenary strongly supporting India’s case and asking members to back New Delhi, China has been unrelenting in its opposition harping on the need to have a criteria for non-NPT countries like India and clubbing India’s case with that of Pakistan for which it is batting.

Roughly 20 countries are backing India’s case fully but given that the decisions in NSG are taken by consensus, India faces an uphill task.

India is seeking membership of NSG to enable it to trade in and export nuclear technology.
The access to the NSG, which regulates the global trade of nuclear technology, is expected to open up the international market for energy-starved India, which has an ambitious energy generation programme. India is looking at 63,000 MW energy requirement through nuclear programme by 2030.

The NSG looks after critical issues relating to nuclear sector and its members are allowed to trade in and export nuclear technology. Membership of the grouping will help India significantly expand its atomic energy sector.