US says nuclear states nearing deal on India trade

The United States said yesterday nuclear supplier nations were making progress towards agreement on lifting a ban on trade with India, after Washington revised a proposal for the move to meet a raft of objections.

US officials, scrambling to finalize a US-India atomic energy deal, have been lobbying others in the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group for a one-time waiver to its rules against doing business with states outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Ahead of a two-day NSG meeting that began yesterday, some members said changes made to the US waiver draft were cosmetic and did not allay concerns the deal could subvert treaties meant to stop the production or testing of nuclear weapons.