Article

2008-09-06 India-Pakistan

India gets Nuclear Suppliers Group waiver

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by john frum 2008-09-06 09:30|| || Front Page|| [6 views ] Top

#1 Current and former Indian and US officials who spoke to The Times of India on background described dozens of phone calls "at the highest levels" on Thursday and Friday night to various principals across the world to get the deal through. Among them were calls to Chinese president Hu Jintao and leaders of Ireland, Austria, and New Zealand.

"At the highest levels," is a euphemism for President Bush, whose single-minded pursuit of this deal was largely instrumental in getting it through in the waning days of his second term. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice too pulled her weight, making calls from her Trans-Atlantic that took her to Portugal on Thursday and a historic, path-breaking visit to Libya on Friday. "There wasn't a moment when anyone in Washington took its eyes of the ball," one official said, rebutting earlier questions about the lack of a sense of urgency or purpose in Washington.

Not that Uncle Sam was delicate in the pursuit of its objective. In fact, the word out of Vienna is that US strong-arm tactics left plenty of bruised feelings. "For the first time in my experience of international diplomatic negotiations, a consensus decision was followed by complete silence in the room. No clapping, nothing," one European diplomat complained to Reuters. "It showed a lot of us felt pressured to some extent into a decision by the Americans and few were totally satisfied."

Posted by john frum 2008-09-06 14:57|| 2008-09-06 14:57|| Front Page Top

#2 brow-beaten diplomats! Oh...the horror

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2008-09-06 15:06|| 2008-09-06 15:06|| Front Page Top

23:57 OldSpook
23:48 Capsu 78
23:47 Capsu 78
23:39 Mike
23:33 CrazyFool
23:15 eLarson
22:57 anonymous2u
22:45 anonymous2u
22:44 Abdominal Snowman
22:41 anonymous2u
22:39 Spike Uniter
22:37 anonymous2u
22:36 Procopius2k
22:29 Frank G
22:25 Andy Creath6042
22:20 Alaska Paul
22:16 Alaska Paul
22:10 lotp
22:10 Pappy
22:09 European Conservative
22:07 European Conservative
22:07 Frank G
22:05 Frank G
22:04 Abdominal Snowman