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India to speed up negotiations with IAEA

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Dec 12, IRNA
India-IAEA-Kakodkar
India will speed up negotiations with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on country-specific safeguards but will ensure that it is done satisfactorily, chairman atomic energy commission, Anil Kakodkar said in Mumbai on Wednesday on the concluding day of the second round of talks by Indian negotiators with the global atomic watchdog at Vienna.

"We are doing our best and try to complete the process as soon as possible but everything has to be done satisfactorily as the negotiations are comprehensive and complex," Zeenews portal reported here quoting Kakodkar.

"We will carry forward the discussions with IAEA," he said adding "if consultations are required, the negotiating team will come back and then continue the process."

However, Kakodkar refused to elaborate on the nature of the talks saying,"The negotiating team is doing its job, let us see how it takes shape."

Notwithstanding the Left parties' threat to the government not to carry forward the safeguards talks with IAEA beyond December, India opened the second round of discussions with the nuclear watchdog this week.

It is expected that the draft of the agreed text on the country- specific safeguards would seek to address the interest of IAEA as well as India.

India is keen to have conditions such as assured fuel supply, strategic reserve and recognition of separation plan, according sources in the external affairs ministry.

If the negotiators have to meet the deadline of the Left parties, then the talks have to be wrapped up before Christmas and New Year holidays when all establishments in Vienna will be closed.

Indian negotiators Dr Ravi B gRover, director, strategic planning of DAE, and India's Ambassador in Vienna, Sheelkant Sharma, were not available for comments on the negotiations.

The first round of talks with IAEA had been held last month.

The government has made it clear that it will not sign any pact with IAEA before the Indo-US nuclear deal is signed. Till then, the country-specific broad-based safeguards template will be kept on hold, the officials said.

This would also suit the Left party's demand that no agreement with IAEA be signed till the Left-UPA committee on the nuclear deal issue gives its opinion.

The whole exercise is to assure the global community that India will not be diverting any of the imported material for strategic purposes, the sources added.

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