Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday held discussions with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and National Security Adviser M K Narayanan on the deliberations in the Nuclear Suppliers Group where a consensus on a waiver for India is still elusive.
The prime minister is believed to have discussed with Mukherjee and Narayanan the reservations expressed by countries like Austria and New Zealand over the draft waiver and the Chinese opposition to the move to grant India the waiver.
Sources said the Indian leadership has been a little surprised by the Chinese vehemence late in the NSG discussions on Friday night. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jienchi is making a visit to India next week. He will arrive in Kolkata on Sunday and later in Delhi early next week.
However, the sources said, India has left the job of convincing the NSG members on the USA, which is beleived to be talking to the naysayers and those having strong reservations.
After marathon NSG discussions that spilled over to wee hours on Saturday in Vienna, diplomats of the 45-member nuclear cartel are meeting again on Saturday to consider the case of exemption for India to resume commerce with other countries.
Mukherjee conceded that four countries were having "some reservations".
"Efforts are on to evolve a consensus. I can't give you any comments. It is not not possible to give you anything unless I get a full report from our negotiators and diplomats who are stationed in Vienna," he said.
