Indian, IAEA officials meet in Vienna: Diplomats

VIENNA: Indian officials met with top-ranking officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency on the sidelines of the UN watchdog's general conference here, diplomats said.

"There was a bilateral meeting between agency officials and the Indians. It was the normal sort of meeting that member states would have" within the context of the general conference, a diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

He could not confirm, however, if the International Atomic Energy Agency's director general, Mohamed ElBaradei, had taken part in the meeting which took place on Wednesday.

India must begin key negotiations with the IAEA if a nuclear deal that New Dehli recently signed with United States is to go ahead.

The agreement will allow India to buy atomic fuel, technology and plants from the US even though it is not party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

However, there appears to be no sign of progress just yet.

An IAEA spokesman said that there no new developments in the situation between the agency and India, specifically in terms of nuclear safeguards.

"There is still no approach from India about safeguards," the spokesman said.