NSG: US standing by India, publicly and privately

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration on Monday again put its weight behind India’s admission to the Nuclear Suppliers Group, calling on member sates to support New Delhi’s application even as China, the main hurdle, appeared to soften its position.

The administration used both its White House and state department pulpits to voice its support for India’s membership as the 48-country cartel began its plenary session in Seoul. “India is ready for membership. And the United States calls on participating governments to support India’s application,” President Barack Obama’s spokesman Josh Earnest said at his daily briefing.

“We continue to call — and nothing’s changed about our position — on participating governments of NSG to support India’s application at the plenary session this week in Seoul,” echoed state department spokesperson John Kirby. He said India’s application is “something about which we have routinely talked to other NSG members”, and it is “not a new topic of discussion that we’ve had privately with the members,” suggesting that Washington had done its spadework and left it to New Delhi to convince Beijing, believed to be the lone, or at least the principle, holdout.

Earnest said the White House has made its views known both publicly and privately, and “we’ll continue to do so in advance of the meeting this week,” indicating that President Obama might still weigh in if needed. “Participating governments will need to reach a consensus decision in order to admit any applicant into the group. And the US will certainly be advocating for India’s membership,” he said.

In Beijing, Chinese spokespersons and government proxies went into contortions to explain their opposition to India’s bid, sometimes pointing to the “principle” of only signatories of the Non-Proliferation Treaty being entertained as members, and pointing to the US for setting up the rule. “The door is open for the admission of the non-NPT members. It is never closed. But the members of the NSG should stay focused on whether the criteria should be changed and whether non-NPT members should be admitted into the NSG,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters at a media briefing on Tuesday, indicating that Beijing is open to negotiations on the issue.

Some sources have suggested that eventually it will boil down to a modus vivendi between Washington, Beijing and New Delhi to make an accommodation through back channel talks that will include finessing positions about their respective roles in AsiaPacific, South China Sea and the Indian Ocean Region. This is not just about NSG membership; it will be about a lot more, sources said.


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