India set to enter Missile Technology Control Regime: report

India is all set to become a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) with no major obstacles left in the process of its entry into the select high technology club, which will help the country acquire and export advanced defence technology.

"We do expect that India will join MTCR very quickly. I think things are moving positively," PTI quoted a senior Obama administration official as saying.

"There are no longer any major obstacles that we are aware of," the official said on Monday

India's accession to the 34-member Missile Technology Control Regime, a key anti-proliferation grouping, has become final with no member objecting to India's admission as a deadline for raising objections ended on Monday.

This is some solace to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an entry into the more important Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) still evades India.

Reports quoting diplomats said the MTCR admission follows a ''silent procedure'' under which a deadline is set for the 34 members of the group to register object to India's admission, which had expired on Monday without any of them raising objections.

Under this so-called 'silent procedure', India's admission follows automatically, Reuters quoted diplomats from four MTCR member nations as saying.

Admission to the MTCR would open the way for India to buy high-end missile technology, also making more realistic its aspiration to buy state-of-the-art surveillance drones such as the US Predator.

India also makes a supersonic cruise missile, the Brahmos, in a joint venture with Russia that both hope to sell to third countries. Membership of the rules-based MTCR would require India to comply with rules - such as a maximum missile range of 300 km - that seek to prevent arms races from developing.

US President Barack Obama has strongly backed India's membership into the MTCR and three other export control regime - Australia Group, Nuclear Suppliers Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement.

However, India's chances of entering the NSG is bleak as China is deadly opposed to it and is instead seeking parity for Pakistan.