Issue of entry of India, other non-NPT states into NSG discussed in body's plenary session

New Delhi: Amid India’s push for the NSG membership, the 48-nation elite grouping has said that it discussed the technical, legal and political aspects of New Delhi’s application along with that of other non-NPT states and decided to hold another meeting in November. At the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) plenary session in the Swiss capital Bern. that concluded on Friday, the NSG’s relationship with India was discussed by the member countries, the grouping said in a statement. “The NSG had discussions on the issue of ‘Technical, Legal and Political Aspects of the Participation of non-NPT States in the NSG’. The Group decided to continue its discussion and noted the intention of the Chair to organise an informal meeting in November,” it said. [caption id=“attachment_3107084” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The NSG logo. Image courtesy: NSG website[/caption] The statement comes amid China’s opposition to India’s bid primarily on the grounds that it is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Last week, China had said there was no change in its stance on admission of non-NPT states into the NSG. The issue has become a major sticking point in bilateral relations between India and China. After India’s application for entry into the elite group which controls nuclear trade, Pakistan, China’s all-weather ally, too had applied with the tacit backing of Beijing. China’s opposition has made India’s entry into the group difficult as it is guided by the consensus principle. “At the Plenary meeting, the NSG… continued to consider all aspects of the implementation of the 2008 Statement on Civil Nuclear Cooperation with India and discussed the NSG relationship with India,” the statement said. In 2008, the NSG had agreed to grant India a waiver from its rules governing civilian nuclear trade to pave the way for the landmark Indo-US nuclear deal. During the plenary in Bern, the NSG member states reiterated their firm support for the “full, complete and effective” implementation of the NPT as the cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime. The NSG plenary invited all nuclear supplier states to express their responsible approach to nuclear exports by adhering to the NSG guidelines.