New Delhi, India: August 30, 2008 – IR Summary/Agencies -  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Saturday held a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to the Congress president, among others and discussed the Revised Draft ahead of the NSG meet to be held on 4-5 Sep.

They discussed the revised draft prepared by the US for consideration of the Nuclear Suppliers Group at their next meet to be held in the first week of  September.

The US has suitably revised the draft clarifying the points raised by certain countries in the last meet at Vienna on 21-22 August, 2008 for placing before them in the upcoming meeting.

The US and India noted their observations and decided to clarify their points of observations with the proper background as desired by certain countries. The language of the Revised Draft has been amended to give proper meaning and sense of the waiver for the concerned countries who sought some elucidation.

The meeting is understood to have deliberated upon the situation in view of the original NSG draft waiver being amended because of concerns expressed by various countries.
 
Mr. Manmohan Singh earlier held similar consultations with Mukherjee, National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar on the issue amid the hope that 45-nation grouping will give a "clean" and "unconditional" waiver.

Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, who is in the US and in touch with the American officials there, is also in constant contact with Mukherjee and Kakodkar over the issue.

Menon will be travelling to Vienna for the NSG meeting directly from the US.