New draft proposal could pave way for India's NSG membership

WASHINGTON: A new draft proposal circulated among Nuclear Suppliers Group member states early this month could pave the way for India to become a member+ of the elite club, but this is unlikely to happen before the end of the Obama presidency next month.

The American push for India to become a full-fledged member of the NSG would now have to be pursued by the incoming Trump Administration as the outgoing Obama Administration is unlikely to fulfill its promise+ made to the Modi Government before its term expires January 20, informed sources said.

A draft formula for NSG membership to countries like India and Pakistan that are not a signatory to the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was submitted by Rafael Mariano Grossi, the former NSG Chair, who prepared the report on behalf of South Korea, the current NSG chair.

According to Arms Control Association (ACA), a Washington-based think-tank who has been a fierce opponent of India-US civil nuclear deal and India's membership to NSG, the two-page draft formula proposes "nine general commitments" that non-NPT countries like India and Pakistan "would need to make" in order to receive the "fullest" atomic trading privileges.

Slamming the draft proposal for "lowering the bar", Daryl G Kimball of ACA observed that this could pave the way for India becoming a NSG member as it already fulfils all these nine criteria outlined in the draft proposal, which was informally discussed by NSG members in Vienna this month.

Informed sources in the US government told PTI that the current "time-line" does not ensure India's membership under the Obama Administration, for which it had tried hard, but for the Chinese "resistance"+ in this regard.

source:-Timesofindia

NSA surveillance: Obama warns Congress against 'reckless' decision

As Rand Paul threatened to “force the expiration of the NSA illegal spy program”, Barack Obama on Saturday made a last-ditch plea to Congress to pass a bill that limits some surveillance powers, saying it would be “irresponsible” and “reckless” to allow such authorities to expire at midnight on Sunday.

“This is a matter of national security,” Obama said in his weekly address. “We shouldn’t surrender the tools that help keep us safe. It would be irresponsible. It would be reckless.”

Obama blamed “a small group of senators [who are] standing in the way”, understating the gridlock in Congress caused by several groups who support or oppose the reform-minded bill, the USA Freedom Act, over a status quo renewal of powers under the Patriot Act.

Republicans and Democrats are divided into three primary factions that do not necessarily fall in party lines. Surveillance hawks, including Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, want a clean, temporary reauthorization of NSA and FBI powers. Another faction, backed by the White House, supports the USA Freedom Act as a “reasonable compromise” between privacy and security.

A third Senate faction, including the Republican Paul and Democrat Ron Wyden, believe the USA Freedom Act does not go far enough in limiting surveillance powers.

On Saturday, while insisting he would not “obstruct”, Paul promised to block any version of the renewal of the authorities, suggesting another after-midnight debate on Sunday.

“I acknowledge the need for a robust intelligence agency and for a vigilant national security,” Paul said in a statement. “But we do not need to give up who we are to defeat them … There has to be another way. We must find it together.”

The Republican-led House of Representatives passed the bill with bipartisan support earlier this month.

Feuding between these groups prevented either a renewal of the Patriot Act or passage of the USA Freedom Act before a legislative recess, obliging senators to reconvene over the weekend for a final attempt to vote. On Friday, Paul suggested he would filibuster the vote and force the expiration of Patriot Act provisions.

The president framed the USA Freedom Act as a set of positive reforms, including the end of the NSA’s bulk collection of American phone records – as revealed in the Guardian by the whistleblower Edward Snowden – the transition of those records to telecom companies, and greater transparency regarding the mostly secret Fisa court decisions that authorize surveillance warrants for intelligence agencies.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com