By IANS
New Delhi : A team of India’s main atomic negotiators will leave for Vienna Wednesday for the third round of talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency on a safeguards agreements – a key ingredient for making operational the India-US civil nuclear deal.
The team of officials from the department of atomic energy will be in Vienna for about three days. It will be led by R.B. Grover, director, strategic planning.
According to officials, the text of the agreement could be finalized by the end of January, but it will have to be put before the United Progressive Alliance-Left co-ordination panel for scrutiny. If the panel gives the green signal, only then will India sign the agreement for safeguarding its civilian nuclear reactors.
The IAEA pact is expected to incorporate fuel supply guarantee, India’s right to build a strategic fuel reserve for the lifetime of its safeguarded nuclear reactors, and the right to reprocess spent fuel under a specially-built facility which will be placed under safeguards.
Though India had hoped to conclude the negotiations in December 2007, the complexity of the agreement, which will be a unique document due to the special status of India – neither a Nuclear Weapon State or a Non-Nuclear Weapon State – made another round of talks imperative.
But the delay will dim the prospects of the deal being endorsed by the US Congress, which is now in election fever leading to the primaries this month in the US presidential election.
A safeguards agreement with IAEA is only a pre-condition for the Nuclear Suppliers Group to ease its restrictions on nuclear commerce with India.