Delhi optimistic about IAEA agreement

New Delhi: India is hopeful that despite Pakistan's objection the safeguards agreement it plans to sign with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) next week will be done without more countries joining in to resist it.

"The overwhelming mood in the IAEA board of governors is to support the Indian safeguards agreement," a senior official in the external affairs ministry said yesterday.

The Indian safeguards agreement will come up for discussion and approval by the 35-member board of governors of the IAEA on August 1. India and Pakistan are both members of the board.

India needs to get the safeguards agreement approved by the IAEA and also an exemption from the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to allow commerce in civil nuclear energy between New Delhi and its members. Both the stages - External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee called them the passport and visa in getting the nuclear deal to the operationalisation stage - have to be cleared to get the India-US civil nuclear deal approved by the US Congress by September.

Pakistan has circulated a letter to the board members expressing concern that if the safeguards agreement is approved by the IAEA it will lead to increased Indian access to nuclear fuel and may contribute to a renewed nuclear arms race between the two South Asian neighbours.

"Pakistani response was in a way predictable, but also a little disappointing," the senior official said.

He pointed out that safeguards agreements are usually approved without much opposition. In November 2006 when Pakistan sought a safeguards agreement for its nuclear facilities at Chashma II, India had joined the other board members to approve it without any reservations.