US hopes Pakistan understands India's use of civil n-energy

Washington, May 28: With the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) set to have a meeting in June, the US said that it hopes Pakistan understands India's use of peaceful civil nuclear energy.

"This is not about an arms race and it's not about nuclear weapons," Mark C. Toner, deputy spokesperson in the US State Department, said at his daily press briefing on Friday in response to a question about India's inclusion in NSG during the meeting.

"This is about the peaceful civil use of nuclear energy, and so we would certainly hope that Pakistan understands that," he said.

Toner said that deliberations in the June NSG meeting about the prospects of new members joining the group were an internal matter among the current members.

"I don't have much to say beyond that other than that I think they meet regularly," he said.

"This is not a specific meeting, I believe - not set up to particularly talk about this issue (of India's membership in the NSG)," he added.

IANS