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Australian Prime Minister hints at support for India in NSG

SINGAPORE: Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has signalled the possibility of extending passive support for the passage of an India-specific waiver from the guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

The NSG, in which Australia is a key member, is likely to meet next week to consider India’s case at the behest of the United States.

Mr. Rudd, on an official visit here on his way back from the Beijing Olympics, said Australia did “not stand in the way” when the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors approved India-specific safeguards agreement on August 1. Australia sits on the IAEA Board as well.

He was answering a question from The Hindu whether he would, as a free-thinking ally of the U.S., support its pro-India initiative at the NSG meeting next week.

Remarking humorously that he was “worried at the preface,” in the question, about his free-thinking status as a U.S. ally, Mr. Rudd said Australia would “not stand in the way of such an [India-U.S.] agreement that was signed.”

And, “we have communicated that decision, diplomatically, to our friends in Washington, to our friends in New Delhi.”

Replying to other questions from the audience, after delivering the 29th Singapore Lecture under the auspices of the Institute of South East Asian Studies here, Mr. Rudd identified Kashmir and the India-China border among the issues that were yet to be resolved in “our region.”

He mentioned “the rise of China and India” as a factor at work in the region now. And, outlining his vision of an “Asia Pacific Community,” The Australian Prime minister emphasised the importance of the proposed non-official international commission on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament issues.

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