“There would be no formal negotiations” on the India-specific safeguards agreement that is required to operationalise the Indo-US nuclear deal during ElBardaei’s visit, sources said. ElBardaei, who arrived in Mumbai late on Monday, is scheduled to arrive in the capital on Wednesday.

However, there were enough indications that the government would hold in a very “general way” discussions on the proposed safeguards agreement during ElBardaei’s separate meetings with top leaders and officials on Wednesday and Thursday.

The top IAEA official is scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon on Wednesday and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday.

The government does not see anything objectionable in holding general discussions on the issue as the IAEA has already sent to it a draft safeguards agreement which forms the basis of negotiations for the proposed safeguards agreement. It is being pointed out that India is already working with IAEA in safeguards arrangement in the safeguarded nuclear facilities in Rajasthan and Tarapur. The same is also being extended to the power reactors being build in Koodamkulam under IAEA safeguards.

However, the UPA government appeared to be facing a real dilemma over converting the informal general discussions into formal negotiations on the proposed agreement. The reason being that the time for finalising the agreement may be fast running out. The UPA government is intent on early operationisation of the deal with the US for which the safeguards agreement is a must.

The government has also set its eyes on negotiating the safeguards agreement clinched before the expected meeting of the IAEA Board of Directors in the last week of November. The safeguards agreement has a good chance of getting the Board’s approval if it is finalised well in time. It is suggested that negotiators would require two to three weeks time to firm the safeguards agreement.

Also, if the subject has to come up at the Board meeting for approval, a 45-day notice is usually required to be given to the members to place it on the agenda.

However, the sources said this requirement could be waived but it would be important to have the agreement ready before the Board meeting.

Left unmoved on nUKE deal
New Delhi, DHNS: The Left parties on Tuesday stuck to their earlier position of opposing any formal talks with the IAEA on operationalisation of the nuclear deal.

Emerging from a meeting of UPA-Left panel, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said: “We have asked the government to put the nuclear deal on the backburner. If the BJP could keep Ayodhya and Article 370 (that gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir) out of the agenda for their coalition, why cannot the Congress delay the deal?”
“The Left parties will go by what the government has given to us in writing that they would take into consideration the findings of the joint committee before operationalising the deal,” he said. Referring to negotiations with the IAEA, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said: “We don't think any formal negotiations will begin before this committee comes out with its findings.”

“Our talks are continuing. I don’t think anything will be operationalised,” he said a day after Left parties made it clear to UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi that the government could not initiate negotiations with the IAEA before the committee to go into their concerns on the deal came out with its findings.

However, there was no formal word from the government side on this issue.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee merely stated: “The members shared in detail their perceptions on various aspects of the cooperation agreement between India and the US. Discussions were also initiated on the implications of the nuclear agreement on foreign policy and security cooperation.”