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Softening her stand on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, German Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged India’s non-proliferation record and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) backing but wanted to await outcome of US Congress discussions. She told visiting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that Germany will be “willing to cooperate” in the “civilian nuclear field.”
Germany has so far been hesitant to support the deal citing “concerns” but not specifying what they were. Germany too took note of IAEA Director-General El Baradei’s unequivocal endorsement of the deal and said that it would “take very seriously what was said by the Indian side.” However, the Indo-German joint statement did not talk about the deal suggesting that Germany is “on a positive path” it is still far from endorsing the deal.
German support in the 35-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is essential to take the deal forward. Even though Russia, Britain, and France have committed their support, other countries such as China and Australia are still opposed to the deal. |
