Japan raises issue of India’s NSG bid in Seoul plenary

Seoul, June 23: India’s bid for NSG membership will come up on late Thursday night at a special post-dinner meeting of the 48nation grouping’s plenary, whose two-day deliberations began here on Thursday.

Although admission of members like India which are not signatories to the Nuclear nonProliferation Treaty (NPT) is not on the agenda, Japan and some other countries are understood to have raised the matter in the opening session.

Thereafter, it was agreed to consider a number of unscheduled items including India’s application at a special session after dinner, informed sources said.

It was not immediate- ly clear that whether the discussion on India’s membership, which is strongly opposed by China, and few other countries will come up informally or in a more formal way.

Indian diplomats, led by Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, are here to lobby, although they are not the participants at the plenary in the absence of India's membership. The Indian team includes Amandeep Gill, head of 'Disarmament and International Security' division in the External Affairs Ministry. The plea of India that China consider India’s membership bid on its own merits is a clear indication that India wants China to delink New Delhi's membership bid from that of Islamabad, something that the Chinese have not been willing to do so far.

Observers feel that there is very little chance of China relenting despite the Modi-Xi meeting, but add that if PM Modi manages to convince China, it would be a major diplomatic coup for India.

The final outcome and China’s decision will be known will be known only on Friday, the last day of the NSG plenary session.

Ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup, when asked about China’s response at the Modi-Xi meeting, refused to comment, saying, “You know, it is a complex and delicate process. We are waiting (to see) what kind of news comes from Seoul. I will not make any more comment on this.” Mr Swarup did say that most of the time of the Modi-Xi meeting was devoted to the NSG issue.

The access to the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which regulates the global trade of nuclear technology, is expected to open up the international market for energystarved India, which has an ambitious energy generation programme.