Click to play videoNew Delhi: Washington is fast forwarding the Indo-US nuclear deal. The State Department said it plans to approach the Congress with the nuclear deal on September 8.
But before that the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) must give India a waiver for nuclear trade. At the moment that is looking difficult as India and the US bicker over the language of the waiver document.
US Ambassador David Mulford spelt it out. He said, “I personally believe the use of word unconditional will be provocative at the NSG, we are looking at the clean exemption at NSG.”
Privately US diplomats warn that there is no such thing as an unconditional exemption at the NSG. There will be certain language India will be uncomfortable with and it will find its way into the preamble of the waiver document, but having pushed itself in a corner by repeatedly insisting that it was intent on a clean and unconditional waiver, India might find itself hard pressed to accept that.
“India expects the NSG guidelines to be amended,” External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.
The US is expected to show India the final draft of the NSG waiver in a few days. One good piece of news is that America does not expect the NSG to compel India to sign the NPT.
Even better, the Bush administration hopes to rush the nuclear deal through the September session of Congress, but if that fails sources hinted at a lame duck session of Congress in December to approve it.
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