Wassenaar Arrangement plenary ends in Vienna, agrees to admit India

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Dec 08, 2017 : India on Thursday got a berth at the Wassenaar Arrangement, which controls global commerce of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies.

 

The 23rd annual plenary of the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) concluded in Vienna after the members agreed to admit India as its 42nd member.

“Confirming that the WA’s existing membership criteria continue to apply, WA Participating States reviewed the progress of a number of current membership applications and agreed at the Plenary meeting to admit India which will become the Arrangement’s 42nd Participating State as soon as the necessary procedural arrangements for joining the WA are completed,” Jean- Louis Falconi, who chaired the cartel’s plenary on behalf of French Government, said in a statement issued from Vienna late on Thursday.

The statement was put up on the website of the WA.

“As president of the WA this year and co-rapporteur of India’s candidacy, France warmly congratulates India for joining the Arrangement. One more recognition, after admission into (Missile Technology Control Regime or) MTCR of the growing role India plays in today’s world,” Alexandre Ziegler, France’s ambassador to India, posted on Twitter.

“The United States welcome the successful conclusion of the #WassenaarArrangement plenary, which offered #India membership, agreed upon over 80 control list updates, & (and) exchanged views on #proliferation challenges,” the US mission to UN in Vienna tweeted.

The WA is the second multilateral export control regime that opened up its door for India.

The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) admitted India as a member in June 2016. The MTCR’s primary objective to restrict proliferation of missiles, complete rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles, and related technology for systems capable of carrying a 500 kilogram payload at least 300 kilometres, as well as systems intended for the delivery of weapons of mass destruction.

India is also keen to get the membership of Australian Group, which governs international trade of materials used to make chemical and biological weapons.

China, however, has been persistently blocking India’s move to get the membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which controls the international trade of atomic technologies and materials.

Beijing has been maintaining that the NSG should first “explore” through “an open and transparent” process and reach agreement on a non-discriminatory formula” to deal with the issue of granting membership to the countries, which had not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT.

Once the non-discriminatory formula would be adopted by the NSG, the cartel should move to the second stage to take up the “country-specific membership issues”, argued China.

The NSG controls global nuclear commerce. The guidelines of the organization prohibit its members to enter into nuke ties with the countries that did not sign the NPT.

Neither India, nor Pakistan has signed the NPT so far..

China blocked India’s entry to the NSG when the cartel had its 26th plenary in South Korea in June 2016. China argued that if the “NPT signatory” criterion was diluted to admit India into the NSG, it should also open up the door for other “non-NPT” countries, including Pakistan.

Beijing on Thursday reiterated that its position on admitting new members to the NSG remained unchanged.



courtesy:DHNS