Vienna: September 6, 2008 – IR Summary/Agencies – The environment at Vienna is hot, Austria, Ireland and New Zealand, among the 45-member Group    have prevented a consensus in favor of India. The US and India are seriously changing the wordings to suit the objecting countries. As per  sources in anonymity, both America and India have arrived at consensus on the language of the Revise Draft in principle which shall be placed before the NSG Meet.

Indian and the US officials on the night of Friday agreed on the wordings in a 'changed draft' prepared by the US to find a consensus in the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) for a clean chit, which is being obstructed on some minor clarifications.

Most of the members of the NSG were, however, kept out of the negotiations as senior officials of the two countries entered into serious consultations to agree to the language and wordings in the Revised Draft.

The negotiations between India and the US went on for a long time taking several hours to reach the unanimity on the language of the agreement  before getting it approved from the  NSG members.

Both countries have now come to an agreement on the changed language of the Revised Draft, which is likely to satisfy particularly the three countries who want clear commitment before they give their consent.

Indications suggest that if negotiations prolong between the two sides, copies of the revised draft will be circulated among the NSG members since both the members have agreed on the changed wordings, as per sources in anonymity. 

There is also a possibility of the NSG members meeting informally on Sep 8 and later for yet another special session towards the third week of the month, to approve the draft and formally announcing its consensus decision on a India-specific waiver.