Engaged with all members of NSG: India

Beijing’s stand for non-discriminatory criteria is regarded significant as Pakistan, a close ally of Beijing too has applied for the NSG membership along with India.

 

NEW DELHI: India today said it was engaged with all the members of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) for its entry into the 48-nation grouping, days after its hopes to secure a membership were dashed after an NSG meeting in Vienna did not make a headway on the issue.

The Vienna meeting of NSG’s Consultative Committee on November 11 was inconclusive on India’s application as China continued to oppose entry of non-NPT nations and called for a two-step “non-discriminatory” solution for admission of such countries into the grouping.

When asked about the future of India’s membership bid, an External Affairs Ministry source said, “Our membership remains with the NSG. We are also engaged with all the members of the Group.”

China, which blocked earlier India’s entry during an NSG Plenary in Seoul in June on the ground that it has not signed the NPT, has held two rounds of talks with India about its admission into the group.

Beijing’s stand for non-discriminatory criteria is regarded significant as Pakistan, a close ally of Beijing too has applied for the NSG membership along with India.

India has secured the backing of the US and the majority of the NSG members based on its non-proliferation record in comparison to Pakistan which faced serious allegations of nuclear proliferation in the past especially with regard to its nuclear scientist A Q Khan.

At the Vienna meeting of the NSG, members talked about the technical, legal and political matters relating non-NPT members accession to the NSG.

India has been maintaining that NPT membership was not essential for joining the NSG, as was the case with France.

Source:- Times of India

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