The G-8 has renewed for another year its ban on the sale of enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) technology and equipment to countries like India that have not signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). "We reiterate our commitment as found in paragraph 8 of the L’Aquila Statement on Non-Proliferation", the leaders of the U.S, France, Germany, Britain, Canada, Italy, Japan and Russia said in their summit communique from Huntsville, Ontario in Canada on June 26.
Paragraph 8 of the L'Aquila statement issued at the G-8 summit last year in Italy had said the eight countries would implement as "national policy" for a year the "clean text" on ENR restrictions that had emerged within the Nuclear Suppliers Group. This text proposes to amend the NSG's guidelines to make the sale of sensitive nuclear technology more difficult. One of the conditions is NPT membership. At last week's NSG plenary in New Zealand, the U.S. sought to have the text adopted but was unable to generate a consensus.
The G-8 statement also said the leaders "welcome and encourage the recent steps taken by the Governments of Pakistan and India to advance their bilateral relationship, and urge all countries of the region to work together actively in the interests of regional peace and stability".
