Global Security Newswire

India should be given a "major" role in efforts to update the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 16).

In a question-and-answer session following a nonproliferation policy address at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Clinton said that a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement finalized last year between Washington and New Delhi "is embedded in a broader strategic dialogue that we are engaged in with the Indians" (see GSN, Oct. 21).

"We want India to be part of our overall nonproliferation efforts. And we want them to really be a major player at the table in trying to figure out how, starting from where we are right now, we go forward in an effective, verifiable manner to reinstate a nonproliferation regime that can prevent further countries acquiring nuclear weapons, or even peaceful nuclear capacity without the safeguards that we envision. So -- India we see as a full partner in this effort, and we look forward to working with them as we try to come up with the 21st century version of the NPT."

India possesses nuclear weapons, but it has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which does not recognize the South Asian nation as a nuclear-weapon state.

The NPT review conference is scheduled for May 2010 (U.S. State Department release, Oct. 21).

Meanwhile, Washington yesterday indicated it was waiting on New Delhi to enact legislation that would limit the liability of U.S. companies providing nuclear assistance to India under last year's nuclear trade deal, United News of India reported (United News of India/New Kerala, Oct. 21).