India can cut it as fine as a mere 24 hours before the November 22-23 meet of IAEA board of governors to submit its safeguards agreement for approval
There are no deadline constraints for the safeguards agreement
NEW DELHI: India can cut it as fine as a mere 24 hours before the November 22-23 meet of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors to submit its safeguards agreement for approval, said a senior government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Once the negotiators get the political signal to go ahead, they are confident of finalizing a draft agreement “very quickly’’ and putting it up to the IAEA board. According to the official, even if India misses the November date, an emergency meeting of the IAEA board can be summoned at just 72 hours notice at any time if the issue is urgent enough.
There are no deadline constraints, therefore, for the safeguards agreement, which explains why the Congress is not unduly worried by the prolonged negotiations with the Left on the nuclear deal.
Even if there is another meeting of the UPA-Left committee after the next scheduled one on October 22, it still leaves the government with enough time to make the November board meet.
The official said the safeguards agreement would not be difficult to negotiate. There is a standard protocol that only needs “tweaking’’ to fit India’s requirements. India’s chief negotiator, Department of Atomic Energy secretary Anil Kakodkar, has already had two meetings with the IAEA in Vienna and a draft agreement is on the table for a final round of discussions.
A safeguards agreement with the IAEA is necessary before the Nuclear Suppliers Group can consider India’s case for a waiver that will allow it to buy nuclear reactors and fuel.
After the NSG gives a waiver, the 123 agreement will go to the US Congress for ratification. The ratification process in the US Congress will take a minimum of three months. The government’s hurry to finish the pre-requisites with the IAEA and NSG is dictated by the US presidential election calendar.
Although the election is due only in November 2008, the assessment here and in Washington is that closer to the poll date, US legislators will be in no mood to clear government business.
The 123 agreement may fall victim to the presidential election and get delayed by a couple of years, till the next dispensation in Washington is in a mood to take it up.
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