Saturday May 17, 02:28 AM
NSG's Berlin meet will not amend norms for India
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The issue of amending its guidelines for India is not likely to be discussed at the forthcoming meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in Berlin next Monday, as New Delhi has not yet taken the decision to sign the safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). According to officials in the ministry of external affairs, in the absence of a safeguards agreement between India and the IAEA, the NSG will not be able to amend the existing guidelines in its 18th plenary session. "The issue of an India-specific amendment to the guidelines in the NSG is unlikely at the plenary session of the group's meeting in Berlin," said an official. However, the official maintained that since it was a grouping of 45 countries it was difficult to say whether any member would raise the proposed amendment to the NSG guidelines. "Though, it could be raised and discussed by some member countries, an amendment to the guidelines cannot be carried unless a safeguards agreement is ready between India and the IAEA."
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