US, France will tilt NSG countries in our favour, hopes India

India said grant of waiver to New Delhi on nuke deal will depend on persuasion by the US, France and others.

India has said that a “small number” of members of the 45-nation NSG have worries about non-proliferation issues and the grant of waiver to New Delhi will depend on persuasion by the US, France and others.

National Security Adviser M K Narayanan suggested that 95 per cent of the countries recognise that the major constraint in India’s progress is absence of clean energy and energy at affordable prices.

“We have a small number (of countries) worried about non-proliferation. If we can get over that, we are over the hill,” Narayanan told theStraits Time, a Singapore daily.

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“…that will also depend on what kind of persuasion the US, France and others can bring to bear,” he said ahead of the August 21 meeting of the Vienna-based Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Asserting that India’s point of view has received a broad support during discussions with individual countries, he said “they have understood India is unique in many ways. We are hopeful. Further efforts are being made before NSG consultation process and much of the support which has come is many people see India as a country with a future, one already on the scene.”

He said several nations now recognised that the major constraint in India’s progress was absence of clean energy and energy at affordable prices.

“Thats the line we have projected and it has gone down well with 95 percent of the countries.”