NSG likely to meet again to discuss entry of non-NPT countries

The 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) has chose to meet again later this year to discuss the process for allowing non-Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatories like India, into the group, keeping alive New Delhi’s chances of becoming a member this year, a person familiar with the development said on Sunday.

The Ministry of External Affairs today asserted that New Delhi has met the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) criteria and India will definitely become a member of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), indicating it will continue the talks with China. “But we are confident that India would be a full member of the (NSG) regime by the end of the year”, the official told on condition of anonymity.

The BJP veteran, who has often been critical of the Modi government after being sidelined in the party, said India should not have gone to the elite grouping as an “applicant” and should not accept NSG membership as it has already got what it needs.

“I say this strongly that India should not accept the NSG membership”. India hasn’t, but it has committed to some controls of its nuclear program under a nuclear cooperation pact with the United States.

“There are some processes which take longer, and I would like to evaluate the NSG membership process in that category”, he added. Confirming the report, an official source told the media that a “special plenary session of the NSG may be called at the year-end”. Yes, we did not get the desired result from Seoul.

Sinha said India stood to “lose and not gain” by becoming a member of the 48-nation grouping and alleged that people sitting in the government were “misguiding it every day”. There will be no gains for us. “It was ill-advised – the desperation, which the Prime Minister showed and also the prematured claims, which he made when he went to Switzerland and Mexico as if everybody is endorsing us”, former Union Minister and senior Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said.

“We are confident that we have got a path forward by the end of this year”, a top Obama administration official said on Friday.

“Indian government is being regularly misguided by some people sitting in power”, he said on the context of Centre’s over enthusiasm for NGG.

Mr Sinha has been a staunch critic of India’s foreign policy under the Modi government and has also flayed the foriegn policy with respect to Pakistan.

That Switzerland would be the next chair of the NSG was a matter of satisfaction for India given its more sympathetic outlook towards India’s candidature, the first person cited above said. Incidentally, the Opposition Congress too had hit out at the Prime Minister, saying he needs to realise that diplomacy needs “depth and seriousness and not public tamasha”.