ID :
17939
Wed, 09/03/2008 - 21:01
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/17939
The shortlink copeid
Nuclear deal: U.S. says it will push for waiver in N.S.G. by Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Sept 3 (PTI) With the Nuclear Suppliers Group (N.S.G.) all set to meet in Vienna for a second time Thursday to consider a waiver for India, the U.S. has said it will not "give up the ship" and push forward for the agreement.
State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said the U.S. believed the deal is in the interests of global non-proliferation efforts and something that is worthy of N.S.G. support.
"We're going to continue to work within the group and work with individual states to try to move it forward," he told the daily press briefing.
"...we're not giving up the ship at all. It's a very tight series of deadlines that were out there, in terms of working this through the international system, working it through our Congress," McCormack said.
He said that the United States will be represented by Undersecretary for Political Affairs Bill Burns and acting Undersecretary John Rood at the N.S.G. meeting in Vienna on September 4 and 5.
The 45-nation grouping will consider a draft which is being presented after amendments following demands by at least 15 countries during the August 21-22 meeting.
The spokesman said the U.S. is in touch with other members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and will continue to move the case forward.
"We believe that this is an issue in which the N.S.G. should act and should move forward," McCormack said.
"But, again, there's a lot of hard diplomacy that goes
-- goes into that in getting a consensus within the group,"
the senior State Department official said.
Refusing to comment on whether a "rump" session of the
U.S. Congress will be convened to push the Indo-U.S. nuclear
deal, McCormack said, "All I can say is we're going to keep
pushing forward on it".
He admitted that some member countries of the N.S.G. have
expressed concerns about the deal and "we have talked to a lot
of those various states."
"I am not going to name them, but we have talked to a lot
of them. They have announced themselves publicly. You can look
it up and what their concerns are," McCormack said.
"We have made the assessment that this is in our
interests, it is in the interests of India to develop civilian
nuclear energy, while providing some assurances regarding
non-proliferation activities," McCormack added.
State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said the U.S. believed the deal is in the interests of global non-proliferation efforts and something that is worthy of N.S.G. support.
"We're going to continue to work within the group and work with individual states to try to move it forward," he told the daily press briefing.
"...we're not giving up the ship at all. It's a very tight series of deadlines that were out there, in terms of working this through the international system, working it through our Congress," McCormack said.
He said that the United States will be represented by Undersecretary for Political Affairs Bill Burns and acting Undersecretary John Rood at the N.S.G. meeting in Vienna on September 4 and 5.
The 45-nation grouping will consider a draft which is being presented after amendments following demands by at least 15 countries during the August 21-22 meeting.
The spokesman said the U.S. is in touch with other members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and will continue to move the case forward.
"We believe that this is an issue in which the N.S.G. should act and should move forward," McCormack said.
"But, again, there's a lot of hard diplomacy that goes
-- goes into that in getting a consensus within the group,"
the senior State Department official said.
Refusing to comment on whether a "rump" session of the
U.S. Congress will be convened to push the Indo-U.S. nuclear
deal, McCormack said, "All I can say is we're going to keep
pushing forward on it".
He admitted that some member countries of the N.S.G. have
expressed concerns about the deal and "we have talked to a lot
of those various states."
"I am not going to name them, but we have talked to a lot
of them. They have announced themselves publicly. You can look
it up and what their concerns are," McCormack said.
"We have made the assessment that this is in our
interests, it is in the interests of India to develop civilian
nuclear energy, while providing some assurances regarding
non-proliferation activities," McCormack added.
