So says “AFP.”:http://www.spacewar.com/2006/080906154226.h1fxo46k.html The Indians are happy; unsurprising, given that the exemption was probably their main objective in the first place. Statements from PM Singh and India’s External Affairs Minister can be downloaded “here.”:http://www.totalwonkerr.net/file_download/15

(As an aside, it’s rarely pointed out that all of this was entirely unnecessary, since India could simply have acceded to the NPT. But, you know, details…)

Anyway, a “different”:http://www.spacewar.com/2006/080906114921.yfy6uyhl.html AFP piece has a bit on the diplomatic wrangling that took place at the meeting:

Discussions had been going on since Thursday and *had broken up shortly before 2:00 am (0000 GMT) on Saturday after the Chinese delegation walked out in support of three countries — Austria, Ireland and New Zealand — holding out for a clear-cut commitment on India’s part to refrain from nuclear bomb testing.*

{snip}

There had been three main sticking points: termination of trade if India tests, no transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technology and an annual review of the agreement.

But *the crunch issue appeared to be nuclear testing, since New Delhi has not signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.*

India had said it “remains committed to a voluntary, unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing.”

*Austria said that it had one of the last countries to agree only after India made a “formal declaration” to stand by its non-proliferation commitments and uphold its moratorium on nuclear bomb tests.*

Reuters also “has”:http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSL626795620080906?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=10215&sp=true some good details:

a European diplomat in the Vienna gathering said: “For the first time in my experience of international diplomatic negotiations, a consensus decision was followed by complete silence in the room. No clapping, nothing.”

“It showed a lot of us felt pressured to some extent into a decision by the Americans and few were totally satisfied.”

Obviously, the AFP piece is referencing “this statement”:http://www.totalwonkerr.net/file_download/16 from Mukherjee. Here’s the most important part:

bq. We remain committed to a *voluntary, unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing. We do not subscribe to any arms race, including a nuclear arms race.* We have always tempered the exercise of our strategic autonomy with a sense of global responsibility. We affirm our policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons.

How that changes anything about Indian policy, I could not say. I think there’s a “treaty”:http://www.state.gov/www/global/arms/treaties/ctb.html concerning nuclear testing. But, again, details…

*Update:*

More on the diplomatic hanky-panky “here.”:http://www.totalwonkerr.net/1702/more-on-the-nsg-india-exemption And more on the NSG exemption “here.”:http://www.totalwonkerr.net/1701/nsg-india-housekeeping