By IANS
New Delhi : Even as an Indian delegation is in Vienna for negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the Indo-US nuclear deal, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Tuesday that the government was proceeding “as per the recommendations” of the UPA-Left panel.
Speaking on the sidelines of a book launch Tuesday evening, Mukherjee said: “We have an institutional mechanism and we meet regularly.”
He referred to the November meeting of the United Progressive Alliance-Left panel, which allowed the government to go ahead with talks with the IAEA for an India-specific safeguards agreement for civilian reactors identified as per the India-US nuclear deal. “We are proceeding according to the suggestions of that meeting,” he added.
A delegation of the department of atomic energy is in Vienna for talks with the IAEA on the safeguards agreement. It left Delhi early Sunday morning.
While India can finalise a draft, it cannot ink the agreement unless the government’s Left allies give their approval.
The safeguards accord is an essential perquisite for the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to consider a proposal for allowing nuclear commerce with India, a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The NSG approval is also required for the US Congress to give its green signal for an operational bilateral accord, known as the 123 agreement.