US to Press Oz to Support NSG Waiver for India

NewIndPress
Mar 24, 2008

MELBOURNE: The US is likely to seek a “promise” from Australia that it will not vote against a Nuclear Suppliers’ Group waiver for India to allow nuclear commerce with it, a key requirement for the implementation of the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal. The “thorny issue” of “Australia’s attitude to the civil nuclear agreement” is expected to come up during a meeting between US president George W Bush and Australia’s new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Washington this week, the Sydney morning herald reported on Monday as External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrived in the US to hold talks on the deal. The Rudd government has already made it clear that it will reverse a decision by the previous John Howard administration to sell uranium to India as new Delhi is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty “but the Bush administration is expected to seek a promise from Australia that it will not vote against the Indian agreement in the nuclear suppliers' group, in which it is one of 45 member states,” the herald said.