Agencies
Vienna, Sept 5:
Further progress was made on Friday at the meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) towards reaching a consensus for a waiver to India as the United States expressed optimism over achieving the "objective".
A statement issued by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi affirming India's commitment to non-proliferation goals sent out the right signals and boosted its case before the 45-member nuclear cartel, which welcomed and praised it.
A few countries are still said to be having some questions, particularly on the issue of nuclear testing by India when they put forth their expressions during the morning session on the second day of the NSG meeting. Efforts are still under way to assuage their concerns, diplomats said.
"We are pleased that there was a positive momentum in the discussions," John Rood, US acting Under Secretary for Arms Control, told reporters before lunch break.
He called Mukherjee's statement regarding India's commitment to non proliferation as "very significant" and said it was discussed by the NSG members who "praised and welcomed" it.
"On the basis of this we believe a positive momentum was generated in the discussions," Rood said.
The US official emphasised that his country remained committed to securing the exception for India and was optimistic on achieving the goal.
"We are both committed to achieving the objective and achieving consensus and are optimistic that we can achieve the goal," he said.
'India committed to non-proliferation'
Seeking to allay apprehensions of certain NSG countries, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said India is committed to the strengthening of the non-proliferation regime and underlined the policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons.
With the NSG meeting for a waiver to India for nuclear commerce underway in Vienna, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee issued a statement here saying that New Delhi will work with the international community to advance the "common objective" of non-proliferation.
He assured the world community that India will not be a source of proliferation of sensitive technologies, including enrichment and reprocessing transfers.
Mukherjee noted that New Delhi remained committed to a voluntary, unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing. "We do not subscribe to any arms race, including nuclear arms race. We have always tempered the exercise of our strategic autonomy with a sense of global responsibility. We affirm our policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons".
"We stand for the strengthening of the non-proliferation regime...," Mukherjee said.
Mukherjee's remarks come in the backdrop of some members of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) expressing concern over giving India a waiver for conducting nuclear trade.
Assuring the international community about working for a non-proliferation regime, the Minister said New Delhi is "interested in participating as a supplier nation, particularly for Thorium-based fuel and in establishment of international fuel banks, which also benefit India."
"India is committed to concluding the Fissile Material Cut off Treaty (FMOT)," Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.
Meanwhile, as the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) inched towards forging a consensus on clearing a waiver to India for nuclear commerce, senior Indian officials met representatives of the few sceptic member countries of the 45-member grouping to persuade them to give the green light so as to take the Indo-US nuclear deal forward.
The informal parleys ahead of the second day of the NSG discussions came as delegates to the nuclear cartel expressed optimism over a consensus to end the country's three-decade long nuclear isolation by today.
"We are close to a consensus. There may be a statement for the press today," a western diplomat, who refused to be identified either by name or country, said after the delegates considered a revised US draft waiver.
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