Vienna - Nuclear-exporting countries met Friday for another day of talks in Vienna on allowing nuclear trade with India, after late-night negotiations ended without results.

The United States is pushing for the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which sets international nuclear export control rules, to make an exemption for India.

The country cannot currently access global markets for its growing nuclear power sectors, as it has not signed the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty.

A consensus among the 45 NSG members hinges on six countries who insist the trade waiver should spell out consequences in case India tests a nuclear bomb.

The latest US draft for the exemption, presented Thursday evening, did not include such a provision, an official close to the talks said.

In an apparent attempt to sway critical NSG members, the Indian External Affairs Minister issued a statement Friday in which he stressed his country's commitments to nuclear non-proliferation.

"We remain committed to a voluntary, unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing," Pranab Mukerjee said.

"We have always tempered the exercise of our strategic autonomy with a sense of global responsibility," he said, adding India subscribed to a no-first-use policy for atom bombs.

Addressing another key concern of NSG members, the minister also stressed that India would not proliferate sensitive technology for uranium enrichment or nuclear fuel reprocessing.

It is difficult for the US to mention nuclear testing in the trade exemption, as Indian officials have said the term was a red line that could not be crossed.

Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland are the most vocal of the NSG members in calling for amendments to the US draft.

Washington is under time pressure to clinch a deal this week, as the trade waiver is part of its 2005 nuclear agreement with India, which the Bush administration wants Congress to ratify before it goes into recess ahead of the presidential election in November.

Sources close to the NSG said efforts were under way to take into account amendments to the trade waiver proposed by 20 NSG members by including them in a chairman's statement that would accompany the decision. (dpa)