New Delhi (PTI): Ahead of the UPA-Left meeting on the Indo-US nuclear deal, the government on wednesday began the process of reviewing the draft India-specific safeguards agreement reached at with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Atomic Energy Commission, headed by Chairman Anil Kakodkar met here this afternoon, where its members were briefed on the safeguards agreement, which is one of the prerequisites to operationalise the deal.

The government would be having a series of internal discussions before it gives the draft safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the Left parties at a meeting on March 17.

Ravi B Grover, Head of the Strategic Planning Group of the Department of Atomic Energy, who led the Indian delegation for the negotiations with IAEA at Vienna, briefed the AEC on the safeguards agreement.

CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat has already indicated that the Left would take two to three months time to go through the draft safeguards agreement.

Government circles are saying that the March 17 meeting would be a very short affair as the UPA would only give a copy of the draft agreement to the Left parties for their scrutiny.

The talk in government circles is that the US can now take up the issue of waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers' Group guidelines with the 45-member grouping.

The safeguards agreement with the IAEA, along with a waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers' Group guidelines, is a prerequisite to operationalise the nuclear deal.