A US Senator has praised the NSG for deciding against granting India membership of the grouping immediately, hours after the elite group's plenary meeting ended in Seoul with no decision on India's membership in face of strong China-led opposition.
"Today, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) reaffirmed its strong support for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by refraining from admitting India," Democratic Senator from Massachusetts Edward Markey said in a statement. The NSG was founded in response to India's 1974 nuclear test and it has worked for decades to prevent the sharing of technology that could contribute to the further spread of nuclear weapons, he said.
"If India joined the Nuclear Supplier Group, it would be the only participating government in the organisation that was not a party to the NPT, weakening the NSG's commitment to the treaty. By refraining from admitting India, the NSG strengthened both the treaty and the broader global nonproliferation regime," Markey said. As a member of the US House of Representative, Markey has unsuccessfully led effort to block passage of civil nuclear deal between India and the US. Last month during a Congressional hearing, Mr Markey had opposed India's NSG membership application.