N-deal stage II: US hands over exemption draft to NSG

FAST FORWARD: US has pushed Japan, NSG members to swifty approve India waiver.

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Keywords: Japan, Boucher

Tokyo: Facing a "tight timetable", the US on Friday pushed a reluctant Japan and other members of the NSG to agree to a waiver for India expeditiously" for enabling the Indo-US nuclear deal, saying the accord will be a "practical way" of engaging New Delhi on non-proliferation.

"The question we're dealing with now is what's the best way to get more convergence between what we do within the non-proliferation treaty and what India does outside," US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said, adding that India has made it "very clear" that signing NPT "is not on the cards."

Asked about the possibility of the deal taking effect before US President George W Bush's term ends in January next year, he said: "It is a tight timetable.

"We are asking the Nuclear Suppliers Group to move expeditiously. We hope that will happen," Boucher was quoted as saying by Kyodo news agency.

Boucher also dismissed concerns that the agreement with India may open up an opportunity for Pakistan to seek a similar deal.

"India has a long and very solid record of nonproliferation, controlling exports, and a responsible international behavior in that regard," he said. "So it was

considered as an arrangement that worked with regard to India, not as some kind of model for other countries."

Boucher especially pushed Japan, which is among the 45 NSG members, to agree to a waiver for India.

"We do understand that Japan's going to have questions and issues that they want to raise," Boucher said, but "the bottom line for us is this is the way to get the cooperation we want, this is the way to get the support for non-proliferation."