LONDON: Britain has welcomed the Indo-US civil nuclear deal with warm, if fuzzy, words about it being a `gain` for the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the more solid promises of helping it along in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Britain is a key founder member of the now 45-member NSG, which was established after the 1974
Indian nuclear test.
The UK`s support for the Indo-US deal and promise to work with it - and for it - through the NSG is seen to plug an important gap in international acceptance of America`s year-old unorthodox decision to accommodate civilian nuclear trade with India, which meant the NSG would eventually have to ease restrictions on nuclear exports to India.
Britain said it had strongly supported the Indo-US initiative from its inception and has been actively involved throughout.
`We look forward to continuing to work closely with the US and India, and with partners in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and elsewhere on the detail of this important issue,` a British Foreign Office spokesman said.
Britain`s warm welcome of the Indo-US agreement is seen as another step in American moves to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies to Indian civilian nuclear reactors.
The spokesman said, `We believe that the deal can make a significant contribution to energy security, development, economic and environmental objectives for India and the international community, as well as represent a gain for the non-proliferation regime`.
Nuclear experts said the British statement underlined the irony of the situation in which the NSG, which includes China , Korea and even Kazakhstan, now finds itself. The NSG, they said, was originally dubbed the London Suppliers Group, because a series of post-1974 Pokharan meetings were held in the British capital from 1975 to 1978. Britain was originally seen to be one of the most ardent advocates of the guiding philosophy of the NSG, which was founded to prevent disparate countries such as Indian turning non-weapons specific nuclear technology to weapons development.
But the British spokesman said, `We believe this agreement will bring India further into, and thereby strengthen, the broader nuclear non-proliferation framework, which is underpinned by the NPT. Bringing India towards the non-proliferation mainstream also allows us to engage with India on a full range of non-proliferation and arms control issues.`
Britain said it was still studying the text of the Indo-US Agreement and would soon consult with India, the US and other partners on how to successfully take the agreement forward.
