A 46-nation nuclear export control regime could adopt rules that would prohibit India from buying nuclear fuel enrichment and reprocessing gear from abroad because New Delhi has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, The Hindu reported yesterday .

The Obama administration has made progress toward winning consensus among Nuclear Suppliers Group member nations on the proposed rules, and the countries might endorse the regulations at their meeting in New Zealand this week, NSG diplomats said (Siddharth Varadarajan, The Hindu I, Jun 21)

The proposed restrictions will “very probably be approved,” one of the sources said Sunday. Hungary, now chairing nuclear export group, informed India three months ago that securing support for the regulations was proving difficult (Siddharth Varadarajan, The Hindu II, Jun 21).

Over the last two years, members of the body including Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa have opposed Washington's proposal that countries be required to sign the International Atomic Energy Agency's Additional Protocol as well as the nonproliferation treaty in order to import enrichment and reprocessing technology; the protocol enables more intrusive IAEA oversight of the nuclear activities in signatory nations. India in 2008 received the right to import nuclear materials and technology from NSG member states even though New Delhi possessed nuclear weapons and had not signed the nonproliferation pact.

Enrichment and reprocessing technologies can aid in the production of nuclear power plant fuel as well as atomic-weapon material (Varadarajan, The Hindu I).

Although India has sought an exemption from the proposed restrictions, NSG member nations have shown little support for such a waiver (Varadarajan, The Hindu II).

To date, only France has agreed to supply India with enrichment and reprocessing equipment (Varadarajan, The Hindu I). Meanwhile, China has played down Indian concerns about its plan to construct two new nuclear power reactors in Pakistan, the Times of India reported yesterday. Beijing, an NSG member, has contended that constructing the new reactors at Pakistan's Chashma site would not violate its NSG commitments because it had built two reactors at the location before joining the organization.

In response to New Delhi's request for "clarifications" on the reactor plan, Beijing reaffirmed the "peaceful" nature of the project and noted it would remain under IAEA monitoring, officials said. India has also sought clarification of the reactor plan through its "partners" within the nuclear export group, officials said, adding that New Delhi would keep tabs on the organization's treatment of the project (Times of India I, Jun 21).

An NSG dispute over the planned reactors could undermine India's bid to join the export group, the Times reported (Indrani Bagchi, Times of India II, Jun 22).

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