Indo-US civil nuclear deal begins to unravel

New Delhi: With the nuclear cartel, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), due to hold its plenary session in The Hague next week, India has said it is opposed to any move to restrict transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technology (ENR) to India by the 45-nation body. According to Delhi, any such move would contradict the nuclear exemption provided to India in September 2008, government sources said.

However, the writing is on the walls for India as - all protestations notwithstanding - the NSG is set to the block transfer of ENR technology to Delhi.

The approval of new guidelines for the transfer of ''sensitive'' nuclear material will slowly, and surely, begin to unravel the hard fought ''clean'' waiver India obtained in 2008 from the cartel.

The move by the NSG to withdraw specific items from the export list will constitute a massive credibility loss for the ruling UPA dispensation in Delhi, which for long has been preening its feathers over wresting the landmark civil nuclear deal in te h face of determined domestic and international opposition.

It is particularly galling for the UPA as the NSG's proposed fresh set of restrictions have the full backing of the United States of America.

Under the terms of a landmark September 2008 agreement, the NSG waived its requirement of full-scope safeguards as a condition for supply of nuclear material and equipment to India in exchange for sovereign non-proliferation commitments by the Indian side. This was the 'clean' waiver that Delhi got in return for making its own commitments on non-proliferation to the nuclear cartel.