The Hindu Business Line : India presses for ‘clean’ waiver from nuclear suppliers group

MUMBAI: Pressing for a “clean'' and “unconditional'' waiver from the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) to take the Indo-US nuclear deal forward, India on Tuesday said it does not expect any new conditions since that would nullify the safeguards pact cleared b y the IAEA.

New Delhi also said its export control requirements has already been harmonised in tune with the guidelines of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) whose clearance will help the country resume nuclear commerce ending the over three decade nuclear isolation.

“We have already harmonised our export control requirements with that of Nuclear Suppliers Group,'' Atomic Energy Chairman Anil Kakodkar told PTI today, ahead of the NSG's special meeting scheduled on August 21 that will take a call on the nuke deal.

“Conditions(new) will only take away from one hand what has been given from the other (consensus at IAEA on India specific safeguards agreement on August 1),'' he said. “All we want is a clean and unconditional exemption from the Nuclear Suppliers Grou p,'' he said.

“NSG guidelines require comprehensive safeguards (applicable only to non-proliferation treaty (NPT) countries), and since India has both civil and military programmes, we have a unique position. Therefore, such comprehensive safeguards are not relevant t o India. Hence, clean exemption from that is what we are seeking,'' Mr Kakodkar said. “They should exempt India from the requirement of comprehensive safeguards and add no other conditions,'' he added. - PTI

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