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Thursday, Jul 17, 2008
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India scales down briefing for IAEA

Sandeep Dikshit

Earlier plan was to interact with all 140 members

NEW DELHI: India will brief on Friday the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and also Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) members, who are not part of the Board, on the safeguards agreement and other issues relating to the civilian nuclear deal with the United States, officials said here on Wednesday.

The briefing was scaled down from the earlier plan of interacting with all 140 IAEA members, leading to some confusion as IAEA spokesperson Melissa Flemming said the interaction was cancelled on India’s request.

“We have been informed that India has decided to cancel the briefing,” the spokesperson said.

The government shortly afterwards clarified that the briefing was on but it would be only for 35 members of the IAEA Board, of whom 26 are in the 45-member NSG, and the remaining 19 NSG nations.

At the briefing, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and Department of Atomic Energy’s Director (Strategic Plans) R.B. Grover will be joined by the Geneva-based Ministry of External Affairs official Venkatesh Varma, a key member of India’s negotiating team on the civilian nuclear issue.

The team will attempt to bolster India’s case amidst some misgivings about providing an exception to a country that has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

While the IAEA is slated to consider the safeguards agreement for identified civilian nuclear facilities, the NSG has to unanimously provide an exemption to India before it is allowed to begin civil nuclear commerce with the international community.

Clean record

Mr. Menon is expected to dwell on the importance of the nuclear deal and impress upon the members India’s clean non-proliferation record despite its not being an NPT signatory.

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