India, Germany hopeful of NSG clearance in one shot

The Hindu
Aug 19, 2008

NEW DELHI: Though provision has been made for the Nuclear Suppliers Group to meet again in a full-fledged plenary on September 2, Indian and German officials are hopeful that the 45-nation cartel might decide to relax its export rules for India during its two-day meeting in Vienna later this week. Germany holds the NSG’s rotating chair and a senior official from its Foreign Ministry — Ambassador Viktor Elbling from the international energy division — will have the task of steering the group towards a consensus on allowing nuclear commerce with India during the plenary consultations that are scheduled for August 21 and 22. Speaking to The Hindu on the background, a German official said that while several NSG members had questions and concerns about the proposal, Berlin was hopeful that a decision on the proposed exemption for India could be reached during the two days itself. The official noted that so far Germany had not received any written communication from member states seeking amendments in the draft exemption, though he did not rule out the possibility of suggestions being made during the Vienna meeting.