"The US is no longer asking India to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or Fullscope Safeguards," Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal said on Wednesday after the conclusion of the two-day meeting of the Indo-US High Technology Co-operation Group (HTCG)."Though they (US) have their laws restricting exports of strategic goods to non-signatories, they have found that there is room for further liberalisation without changing the laws. How far they can go will probably be known by November," Sibal said.

He said that more liberalisation of US exports of high-technology, dual use goods is expected by the next meeting of the HTCG in New Delhi, probably in November.

The two governments had agreed to form the HTCG in November 2002 to facilitate and promote bilateral high-technology trade, including trade in dual-use goods and technologies, as part of the broad commitment by US President George W Bush and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to transform the relationship between the two countries.