US, India welcome NSG's agreement to lift nuclear trade embargo on India

WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh welcomed the decision by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to lift a nuclear trade embargo on India, the White House said Saturday.

In their telephone discussion earlier in the day, "The two leaders congratulated each other on the consensus reached at the Nuclear Suppliers Group meeting in Vienna and expressed appreciation for the joint efforts made there to move forward withcivil nuclear cooperation between the United States and India," U.S. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

"This is a historic achievement that strengthens global non-proliferation principles while assisting India to meet its energy requirements in an environmentally friendly manner," Johndroe said.

"The United States thanks the participating governments in the NSG for their outstanding efforts and cooperation to welcome India into the global non-proliferation community," Johndroe said. "We especially appreciate the role Germany played as chair to move this process forward."

The NSG, which controls the export and sale of nuclear technology worldwide, Saturday approved a U.S. proposal to lift its 34-year-old nuclear trade embargo on India.