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Vienna: Six countries in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) have remained opposed to a "clean waiver" to India ahead of its meeting here this week and some of them have said they were under pressure to reach a "constructive conclusion" to allow global nuclear commerce with New Delhi.
"We are under pressure to agree to an acceptable compromise," a western diplomat, whose country is one of the six NSG members opposed to a "clean waiver", said yesterday.
The six countries - Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland - made it clear that changes in the new draft for the waiver were "minimal" and "cosmetic" and fail to address their concerns on non-proliferation.
They met on Monday to decide whether they can take a common position to register concerns on the new draft the US has circulated and wanted to be passed at the NSG meeting.
Full attention
"My government received the revised draft from the US last Saturday. There was no business over the weekend. The government had its first look at the draft yesterday morning," the diplomat said on condition of anonymity. He added that the draft has the government's "full attention" at the moment but it was still "unsure" over an unconditional waiver.
When the 45-member NSG met in Vienna last month, the member countries were unable to decide on the India-specific waiver without first bringing in provisions that would specify that all trade with India would end if it conducted further nuclear tests.
After its series of nuclear tests in May 1998, India has announced a voluntary moratorium on testing. But it has so far not signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty that prevents countries from conducting further nuclear tests. Nor has it signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
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