Life
NSG Defers Indian Nuclear Deal
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| The U.S.-India nuclear deal was dealt a jolt in Vienna when the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the global body that governs the legal trade in nuclear materials, deferred a decision on India’s application for civil nuclear cooperation with the United States.
India has already secured an inspections agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, but requires NSG approval before the Bush administration can submit the deal to the U.S. Congress. The Bush administration is anxious to push the deal through before its term expires at the end of this year. Nearly half the NSG countries sought revisions to a U.S. draft, expressing concern that exporting nuclear fuel and technology to a country that has not made a legally binding disarmament pledge sets a dangerous precedent. The NSG approval is the last hurdle before the deal is submitted to the U.S. Congress. |