By IANS
New Delhi : India Tuesday struck an optimistic note about concluding a safeguards pact with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) saying it expected a “positive outcome” from ongoing negotiations with the UN nuclear watchdog.
“I have always worked in a positive way… I am optimistic that the negotiations with the IAEA will have a positive outcome,” Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman Anil Kakodkar told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
“If everything works out, we will do it,” he said when asked whether the talks with the IAEA were going on as planned and would be completed in time to complete the nuclear deal with the US.
“Talks are going on. Work is in progress,” he said.
India and the IAEA have held four rounds of talks in Vienna to finalise the draft on India-specific safeguards agreement that will ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies and New Delhi’s right to set up a strategic reserve of fuel.
The draft of the IAEA pact has to be first approved by the Left parties before the Indian government can proceed with the nuclear deal.
Kakodkar batted vigorously for nuclear energy. “We have been working on a domestic programme with the aim of using atomic energy as much as possible to produce electricity.”
“But the energy requirements are much more than this and hence efforts are being made for an international civil nuclear cooperation,” he said.
“There are lot of technical details, which need to be discussed and worked out,” he added.