VIENNA, Aug 22: Nuclear supplier nations ended a two-day meeting here on Friday without reaching agreement on lifting a 34-year-old embargo on nuclear trade with India.

The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which controls the export and sale of nuclear technology worldwide, for two days “to discuss a US draft proposal on a statement on civil nuclear cooperation with India.” Following a full session and a series of bilateral talks, the 45-member group issued a short statement saying only: “Participating governments exchanged views in a constructive manner, and agreed to meet again in the near future to continue their deliberations.” Diplomats who attended the discussions signalled that the US-India deal had run into stiff resistance among member states, with some setting conditions for giving approval.

The United States wants a special waiver of NSG rules for India, which refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), allowing Washington and New Delhi to cooperate in the civilian nuclear field. A number of countries openly expressed reservations about the 2005 agreement between the United States and India.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting on Friday, US Acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, John Rood, remained optimistic.

“We have completed a second day of discussions. We had a constructive and positive discussion today,” Rood said. The United States was “pleased with the results of the discussion and I remain very optimistic that we’re going to continue to make progress towards this important goal,” Rood continued.

“The Nuclear Suppliers Group has agreed to meet again in the near future and so we’ll take up this question and this will remain something that the group continues to work through in a serious manner.”

Under NSG rules, all nuclear trade with India is banned because it refuses to sign the NPT, developed atomic bombs in secret and conducted its first nuclear test in 1974. The US argues that the new deal will bring India into the NPT fold after 34 years of isolation and help combat global warming by allowing the world’s largest democracy to develop low-polluting nuclear energy.—AFP