New Delhi(IANS) : In a big boost to India’s quest for global civil nuclear cooperation, Portugal Saturday not only supported New Delhi in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, but also agreed to use its influence to convince other European NSG countries to back the India-US nuclear deal.
Portugal also came out strongly in support of India’s bid for a permanent seat in an expanded UN Security Council.
“Portugal supports India in the NSG. It’s high time the international community admits that India has given enough guarantees for prudent use of nuclear energy,” Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates said at a joint press interaction with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.
“Yes, we will do our utmost to convince other countries of our position. India has given enough evidence about its prudent use of nuclear energy,” Socrates replied when asked whether Portugal will use its clout in the European Union to convince sceptical NSG members to support the India-US nuclear deal.
Portugal currently holds the rotating presidency of the 27-nation EU.
Some of European nations like Austria, Ireland and the Scandinavian countries are sceptical about the India-US nuclear deal – that will pave the way for the resumption of global nuclear commerce with New Delhi – due to its implications on the global non-proliferation regime.
Describing Portugal as a “warm, trusted and reliable friend of India”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh thanked the Portuguese prime minister for his country’s support for civil nuclear cooperation with India in the NSG and Lisbon’s backing for New Delhi’s Security Council ambitions.
“We are grateful to Portugal for its most friendly support and understanding to India’s candidature for permanent membership of an expanded Security Council,” Singh said after “very fruitful talks” with Socrates on a broad range of bilateral and global issues.
Socrates lauded the contribution of the Indian community to the development of Europe and spoke about reviving historical and cultural linkages between the two countries, specially the shared culture in Goa, Daman and Diu in India.
The two leaders also discussed the intensification of bilateral trade between the two countries which now stands at a dismal $397 million. The two countries identified information technology, biotechnology, bio-informatics and nano-technology as focus areas for joint collaboration.
Portugal’s unambiguous support for India in the NSG came as a shot in the arm for the Indian government trying to mobilise widest possible global support for the nuclear deal, especially after the EU’s continuing ambivalence on the issue at the summit talks Friday.
At the eighth India-EU summit, the EU leaders struck a cautious note on the India-US nuclear deal, saying while it appreciated the Asian economy’s growing energy needs, it has yet to evolve a common position on supporting India in the NSG.
Representing the presidency of the EU, Socrates Friday had said that while the EU supported India’s conversation with the US in civil nuclear area, it has no common position.
Socrates also underlined that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) remained a key convention for regulating the use of nuclear technology.
The EU is watching closely New Delhi’s negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but it will be up to individual nations to decide their stand in the NSG.