LONDON — Even as all eyes were focused on the issues of global economic revival, world trade and climate change, the Group of Eight sprung a major surprise on India during its summit at L'Aquila. The G8 statement on nonproliferation committed the advanced industrial world to implement on a national basis "useful and constructive proposals" toward strengthening controls on enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) items and technology "contained in the NSG's 'clean text' developed at the Nov. 20, 2008, Consultative meeting."
The G8 underscored the importance of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) toward the pursuit of nuclear disarmament by insisting that those states that have not yet signed the treaty become a part of it.
It was just last September that the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) had agreed to grant a clean exemption to India, thereby allowing nuclear exports of sensitive technology under safeguards to India. The latest G8 agreement on banning ENR items to countries that are not signatories to the NPT effectively puts the future of the landmark U.S.-India nuclear deal of 2005 in jeopardy.