India approaches IAEA for talks on safeguards agreement
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, Nov 19, IRNA
India-IAEA-PM
After green signal from the Left parties, Government will approach the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for talks on the safeguards agreement that is crucial for implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal.
"We are going to IAEA, let us see," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told reporters in New Delhi when asked when the government would approach the global nuclear watchdog for talks on the India-specific safeguards agreement.
Asked whether any timeframe had been fixed for the negotiations, he merely said "we are just going there, we will discuss". He did not elaborate.
Singh was talking to journalists at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on the sidelines of a function to present Indira Gandhi Prize to Prof Wangari M Maathai, an environmental activist of Africa.
Meanwhile, Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) would be travelling to Vienna tomorrow and meet IAEA Secretary General Mohamed ElBaradei on Wednesday, PTI reported here quoting DAE sources from Mumbai.
Kakodkar, who will be accompanied by DAE's Strategic Planning Group Director Ravi B Grover, will hold discussions on the separation plan of Indian nuclear plants, the safeguard arrangements of the fuel dependent countries and demands by India on country-specific safeguards.
The Indian delegation's visit to Vienna was finalized after the Left parties gave a conditional go-ahead to the government to hold talks with IAEA on last Friday.
The Indian government and IAEA have already held some discussions on the safeguards agreement and a rough draft is ready, sources said.
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