India expects exemption from NSG without any change to draft

Ahead of the two-day extraordinary plenary meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in Vienna from Thursday, India today said it expected an exemption from the NSG without any change to the draft that was circulated by the USA to suppliers.         

India also expected the entire process to move in a manner consistent with the July 18, 2005, understanding.         

"We have done everything that had to be done and now we expect the NSG exemption without any change to the draft that was circulated to them recently," Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar said today.         

NSG is holding a two-day extraordinary plenary meeting from August 21 especially to discuss the exemptions to India for international nuclear commerce.         

Reacting to a letter written by non-proliferation experts and NGOs asking the NSG to to reject the US proposal to exempt India from long-standing global nuclear trade standards, Kakodkar said, "We expect the process to move consistent with the July 18, 2005, understanding and any change in their (NSG) position is problematic."         

"We can not agree to further demands and there is no way we can," he said.         

Last week, 150 non-proliferation experts and NGOs from around two dozen countries asked Foreign Ministers of the Nuclear Suppliers Group to reject the US proposal to exempt India from long-standing global nuclear trade standards.