The Nuclear Suppliers Group, which controls the export and sale of nuclear technology worldwide, began a two-day meeting to debate amending its rules and allow India -- which refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) -- to share US knowhow.

But at the end of the first day of talks, one diplomat who attended the meeting said that agreement was "not possible" this time and an additional meeting would be necessary early in September.

Asked as he came out of the meeting whether the highly-secretive 45-member NSG was likely to reach consensus by Friday, the diplomat, who declined to be identified, replied "it's not possible."

Other delegates said nothing as they left the meeting at Japan's permanent mission to the IAEA.

Bilateral discussions would be held between different NSG member states on Friday morning with a full plenary session set to begin again at around 1:00 pm (1100 GMT), diplomats said.

Even though a number of countries have openly expressed reservations about the so-called 123 Agreement, which was signed by Washington and New Delhi in 2005, the head of the US delegation, State Department Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security, John Rood, remained optimistic.

"We've had a very full discussion today," he told reporters.

"This is a serious subject and it's a roomful of serious people who have taken it in that manner. Certainly there are additional discussions that we will have tomorrow," Rood said.

"But for our part, we continue to believe that this is a very important initiative and we remain committed to achieving an outcome that is both a net benefit for the non-proliferation regime and that meets India's energy needs."

The US had "an important emerging relationship with India," Rood said.

"I think there is a lot of support for this internationally. And so I remain optimistic that we're going to be able to be successful in this process," Rood said.

Under NSG rules, all nuclear trade with India is banned because it refuses to sign the NPT.

The United States argues that the deal will bring India closer into the NPT fold after 34 years of isolation and help combat global warming by allowing the world's largest democracy to develop low-polluting nuclear energy.

Critics argue, however, that the deal undermines international non-proliferation efforts by providing US nuclear technology to a non-NPT state that developed atomic bombs in secret and conducted its first nuclear test in 1974.

They accuse the nuclear states supporting the deal of ignoring the proliferation dangers in pursuit of commercial and political gains.

Russia and France would also be free to begin nuclear trade with India if the NSG agrees to the US-India deal.

The deal must clear three major hurdles before it can come into effect.

The first came earlier this month when the UN atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, approved an India-specific safeguards agreement.

The NSG represents the next obstacle before the deal must finally be approved by the US Congress.

Unanimous approval is required from the NSG, but some members have been openly sceptical.

Phil Goff, New Zealand's minister for disarmament and arms control, told an Indian newspaper Wednesday that his country "has not arrived at a final position" on whether to approve the deal, but "like a number of countries, we do have reservations."

Austria, Switzerland, Ireland and Norway are also believed to harbour similar concerns.

The Arms Control Association of the United States and several other non-governmental organisations and experts called the proposal a "non-proliferation disaster" in an August 15 letter to the NSG.

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