India, on Monday moved a step closer to joining the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). After years of negotiations and persuasion, the NSG agreed to discuss India’s case for full membership as a Specific Agenda during its plenary meeting in the third week of June. India, with explicit US support has pipped Pakistan to be on the agenda, even though China was backing the latter.

The membership listing followed an outreach meeting between India and the NSG Troika comprising The Netherlands, New Zealand and Hungary that took place at The Hague on Monday. The Indian delegation was led by Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao.

Sources said that India persuaded its case strongly saying that NSG is planning to tighten procedures for export of Enrichment and Reprocessing (ENR) technology, which India needs desperately for its nuclear energy projects.

It is learnt that Rao worded India’s concerns while explaining its position of having a special status since September 2008 when NSG allowed global nuclear trade with India despite it being a non-signatory to the NPT.

Sources said that while India talked about export control laws, the Troika discussed India’s efforts at non-proliferation, despite not being a signatory of the NPT.

India has been holding similar outreach meetings with NSG members since 2004, with Russia, the United States of America (USA) and France being among the important countries. However, they still needs to persuade all the 45 members as NSG decisions are taken unanimously.

India, Pakistan and Israel are not part of NSG because they have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Since 1989, NSG has banned its member countries from trading with non NSG members. While it is unlikely for Israel to get NSG membership, China is strongly pushing Pakistan’s case.