India Pushes Nuclear Deal At Nuclear Suppliers Group Meet

India Pushes Nuclear Deal At Nuclear Suppliers Group Meet
As the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) begins its plenary meet in Cape Town Monday, India will make a strong pitch to the doubters in the nuclear cabal to back its civilian nuclear deal with the US and invigorate its sluggish negotiations on a bilateral pact with Washington.India's High Commissioner to Singapore S. Jaishankar, a key diplomat who was previously involved in nuclear negotiations with Washington, will be leading the Indian delegation to Cape Town for this 'charm NSG' mission.Although the India-US civil nuclear deal is not part of the official agenda of the five-day meeting of the NSG, it will have an invisible presence at the meeting.The NSG can only take a formal view of the India-US civil nuclear deal after the two countries have finalised a bilateral 123 Agreement and New Delhi concludes a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).The NSG, which operates by consensus, holds the key to facilitating global civil nuclear commerce with India by amending its guidelines in favour of New Delhi.In its informal meetings with key NSG members, Indian diplomats will underline India's impeccable record in nuclear non-proliferation and the country's burgeoning needs for energy as its economy continues to grow at the rate of nearly eight percent per year.The focus will be on winning over sceptics like Norway, Sweden, Finland and Japan, countries known for their uncompromising views on nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear energy.Indian diplomats will also be meeting top US officials on the sidelines of the NSG meet in Cape Town to pick up the threads from where they left last month in the Indian capital.The crucial meeting comes against the backdrop of reports in a section of the US media about the 123 Agreement floundering over critical issues like India's insistence on the right to test nuclear device, if required, and the transfer of reprocessing technologies.Jaishankar is likely to meet with Richard Stratford, the director of Nuclear Energy, Safety and Security in the State Department, in Cape Town and narrow down differences over these contentious issues in order to put in place a viable 123 Agreement that can pass muster with the establishments in both countries.