Countries resisting India's bid to join NSG soften stand

Opponents argue that granting India membership will further undermine efforts to prevent proliferation. It would also infuriate Pakistan, an ally of China, which has responded to India's membership bid with one of its own.

Pakistan's joining the NSG will be unacceptable to many, given its track record. The father of its nuclear weapons programme ran an illicit network for years that sold nuclear secrets to countries including North Korea and Iran.

"By bringing India on board, it's a slap in the face of the entire non-proliferation regime," a diplomatic source from a country resisting India's bid said on condition of anonymity.

Washington has been pressuring hold-outs, and Thursday's meeting was a chance to see how strong opposition is.

US Secretary of State John Kerry wrote to members, asking them "not to block consensus on Indian admission to the NSG," in a letter seen by Reuters and dated Friday.

Most of the hold-outs argue that if India is to be admitted, it should be under criteria that apply equally to all states rather than under a "tailor-made" solution for a US ally.

Mexico's president said on Wednesday his country now backs India's membership bid. One Vienna-based diplomat said it had softened its stance but still opposed the idea of India joining under conditions that did not apply equally to all.