WASHINGTON: A new draft proposal circulated among Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) member states early this month could pave the way for India to become a member of group.
However, this is unlikely to happen before the end of the Obama presidency next month.
India is seeking membership of this elite club on the strength of the fact that it is already doing business with NSG members.
The American push for India to become a full-fledged member of the NSG would now have to be pursued by the incoming Trump Administration as the outgoing Obama Administration is unlikely to fulfill its promise made to the Modi Government before its term expires January 20, informed sources said.
A draft formula for NSG membership to countries like India and Pakistan that are not a signatory to the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was submitted by Rafael Mariano Grossi, the former NSG Chair, who prepared the report on behalf of South Korea, the current NSG chair.
ABOUT NSG
The 48-nation NSG is a nuclear technology control organisation formed in 1975 in response to India's first nuclear weapons test, which used plutonium produced with nuclear technology from Canada and the US.
MAJOR HURDLES IN INDIA WAY
1. NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY: Current NSG membership rules require a state to sign the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) before joining this exclusive club. India remains one of only three countries, with Israel and Pakistan, never to have signed the NPT.
2. CHINA OBJECTION: The US, and a host of other powerful western nations, back India's application, but China and half a dozen other nations are blocking India's membership, which requires a consensus of all members.
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