G-8 resolution will have no impact on India: PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday made it clear that G-8 resolution on curbing transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technology will have no impact on India as there was no consensus in this regard in the Nuclear Suppliers Group that controls global trade in the field.

Responding to concerns about the G-8 resolution adopted in L'Aquila in Italy earlier this month that provided for barring transfer of enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) technologies to non-NPT countries, he said India does not have civil nuclear cooperation agreements with all G-8 group per se, but bilaterally with France, Russia and the US.

Any decision to bar technology transfer will require consensus at NSG, he said, adding that the 45-nation NSG had given a "clean exemption" to India.

Singh said India will remain engaged with NSG on the issue. "It is our expectation that any future discussion in NSG related to transfer of technology will take into account specific status to India and India-specific exemptions."

Underlining that NSG had given "clean" waiver to India, he said, "we are committed to achieve full civil nuclear cooperation" as per the exemption given by the grouping which has agreed to transfer of all technologies by individual countries consistent with their national laws.