Vienna: India’s application to the NSG still hangs in the balance, despite Modi’s 5 nation whirlwind tour to garner support just prior to a two day Vienna meet that considered the application. After meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Thursday, President Barack Obama pledged America’s backing for India to be given a seat in the NSG.

The NSG is 48 nation club that controls world nuclear supplies and technology and it is vital that India gets membership. The Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG aims to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons by restricting the sale of items that can be used to make those arms. It was set up in response to India’s first nuclear test in 1974.

After an inconclusive meet, India’s application is now expected to be taken up in a meeting in Seoul on June 20.  As promised by its president, the US led the push in favour of the application, but China has consistently remained opposed and defiant.

China is pressing for Pakistan’s simultaneous entry to the group and insisting that India sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the main global arms control pact, which it has consistently refused to sign. Despite this refusal, India already enjoys most of the benefits of membership under a 2008 exemption to NSG rules granted to support its nuclear cooperation deal with Washington.

Diplomats at the meeting indicated that a few other nations, including South Africa, New Zealand and Turkey, originally opposed to India’s admission into the NSG, somewhat softened their stance, opening the door to a process under which non-NPT states such as India might join.