The Hindu : Front Page : New Zealand says there are ‘50 amendments’ to NSG waiver

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Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008
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New Zealand says there are ‘50 amendments’ to NSG waiver

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: New Zealand’s disarmament minister Phil Goff said on Tuesday that Nuclear Suppliers Group members had proposed around 50 amendments to the draft waiver allowing nuclear trade with India in their meeting at Vienna last week.

In an official press release put out by the New Zealand government, Mr. Goff said the discussions there had been “robust and constructive” and that Wellington looked forward to continuing this dialogue “around a revised draft exemption text at next month’s meeting.”

“Around 50 amendments have been proposed to the original text, with many countries speaking in favour of amendments,” he said. The key function of the NSG is to formulate guidelines for managing exports of nuclear material, equipment and technology to ensure that this trade does not contribute to nuclear weapons proliferation. Discussions in Vienna focussed on how to ensure compatibility of these objectives with the exemptions, sought for the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.”

While New Zealand is “a strong advocate” of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and “would welcome India’s accession to these treaties,” Mr. Goff said his country had not included these elements in its package of proposals.

“New Zealand engaged constructively in the discussions, acknowledging potential benefits involved in the Agreement and its good relationship with both countries, while noting concerns and the need for consistency in pursuing the objective of non-proliferation. A large number of countries big and small expressed views similar to New Zealand’s that there needed to be compatibility between the U.S.-India Agreement and the goals of the NSG, and indicated a willingness to engage positively to achieve that outcome,” Mr. Goff said.

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