NSG decides to strengthen guidelines on ENR transfer

At a two-day meeting in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, which ended yesterday, the 46-nation grouping also considered "all aspects of the implementation of the 2008 Statement on Civil Nuclear Cooperation with India."

The meeting also discussed the "NSG relationship with India", at a time when the grouping is considering the country's entry as a full member.

A press statement issued after the meeting said the NSG noted the need to "address proliferation concerns without hampering legitimate trade and reaffirmed the importance of licensing and enforcement based on NSG guidelines and control lists."

The NSG, therefore, "agreed to strengthen its guidelines on the transfer of sensitive enrichment and reprocessing technologies."

Though it did not specify as to what aspects of the guidelines were to be strengthened, the move would have a bearing on India considering that some countries have been insisting that ENR technology should be denied to it as it has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The US has sought to play down any concerns, saying the NSG decision would bring India "closer" to international commerce in the nuclear sector.

While the NSG has been trying to evolve a consensus on curbing transfer of ENR technology and equipment to countries which have not signed the NPT, the group of eight developed countries had vowed in 2009 to do so.

This had surprised India which had got a "clean waiver" from NSG in September 2008