India to approach IAEA very soon: PM

ONBOARD PM's AIRCRAFT: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday announced that India will "very soon" approach the IAEA for a safeguards agreement for the controversial Indo-US nuclear deal where the "process will move very fast".
      
The Prime Minister's statement to journalists on board the aircraft carrying him to Sapporo in Japan for the G-8 Summit comes amid reports from Vienna, the IAEA headquarters, that the Board of the international nuclear watchdog will meet on July 28 to approve the safeguards agreement.
       
He said assurances have been given that once India goes to the IAEA, the process will move very fast.
      
A relaxed and confident Singh made it clear that Government was not afraid of facing Parliament if the Left parties withdraw support.
      
Having a dig at Leader of Opposition L K Advani, Singh said the BJP leader "need not give any advice" on the issue.
      
Singh, who will be meeting US President George W Bush on the sidelines of the summit on July nine, said he would also be holding parleys with other world leaders and seek their support for the nuclear deal at the IAEA and the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG).
    
Singh still sounded conciliatory about the Left parties, who have threatened to withdraw support to his government the moment it takes the next step on the deal, that they were "patriots" and would like to find a way out which would address their concerns and also see the deal through.
     
He asserted that the deal was in national interest and the government would not compromise India''s foreign policy or its strategic programme.
    
"I have been telling him(George W Bush) and I have always told him that I am committed to the civil nuclear cooperation agreement. That it has been my effort and it will always be my effort to push the  agreement and that our government stands committed," Singh said.
    
"As for the precise date I wouldn't like to say while I am abroad. But we will take a decision very soon."
     
Initially he was reluctant to say when the government would approach the IAEA.
    
But when pressed for a specific time-frame and asked how soon, he replied " well I can't tell right now. But you will hear about it when we take such a decision."

Earlier, the Prime Minister was replying to a question as to what he would tell President Bush when he meets him in Japan and when the government would approach the IAEA.
    
To a question about statement emanating from the US that time was running out for the deal, Singh said that as for the time table honestly he could not anticipate. "We have been assured that once we take the decision to go to the IAEA, the proces will move pretty fast", he said.
    
Asked about Advani's statement that the government should seek a vote of confidence in Lok Sabha the moment the Left parties withdraw support, the Prime Minister shot back "we will cross that bridge when reach there. We are not afraid of facing Parliament. We will abide by all parliamentary norms that should apply in a great democracy that India is. Mr Advani need not give any advice to us".

Singh said he would explain to the world leaders during bilateral discussions what India is trying to do on the deal.
    
"Naturally civil nuclear cooperation(with US) would figure in all the discussions. My commitment in the past has been and I will reinforce this effort to impress upon global leaders that India's civil nuclear cooperation agreement as and when it goes before the IAEA and NSG we obviously seek the support of the world community in both these fora. That would be the main concern," Singh said.
   
One questioner told him that he appeared relaxed but asked if he was worried about the Left parties pulling the plug when he is abroad he replied. "Well I am not worried and as and when such a contingency arises we are going to deal with it."
    
Asked about the time taken for the IAEA process, Singh said as soon as the government decides to go to the IAEA then the matter is in the court of the Board of Governors of the nuclear watchdog.
    
"We would certainly hope that the Board of Governors would take quick decisions," Singh said.
     
"We have an agreed text which has been agreed to by the staff of the IAEA. I expect then that the process should not take too long. But the Board of Governors will have to take the call and I cannot anticipate how long," he said.
      
"I sincerely hope that the world community will help us to get over this as soon as possible. And in my discussions with the world leaders...... fortunately we have the support of all major powers.... US, Russia, Britain, France,.... I don't expect this should be a problem. But I can't anticipate how much more time this will take," Singh said.
      
To a question on China's support for the nuclear deal, the Prime Minister said that he has had discussions with the Chinese leaders on more than one occasion but frankly admitted he cannot say that he has a firm assurance.
      
"But I have a strong feeling that when the matter comes up before the relevant international fora, the Chinese will not be a problem."

On questions about apprehensions over the US support, the Prime Minister said "once India takes the decision, the US has to fulfill its promise. "There is the July 18, 2005 Joint Statement in which the US has publicly stated that they would help us get through the IAEA and NSG and I hope that they do their work".
    
On Left parties' opposition, he said "they are valuable colleagues and we still very much hope that the two sides could find a way out which should be mutually satisfactory to all concerned".
    
"I sincerely believe that this is a deal which is in India's interests. It recognizes the arrival of India on the global scene and as a partriotic citizen of our country, I sincerely believe that if they study whole thing carefully, they will all be convinced that this is in India's long-term interests, energy security and our access to dual-use technologies", Singh said.
    
Asked if he was sad and disappointed about the Left parties' opposition to the deal, he said "I respect the sentiments of our colleagues on the Left.
    
"They (Left) are patriots. There is unfortunately a difference in our perceptions and I still sincerely hope that we can find a way in which we can resolve these differences in a manner that the deal can go through and the concerns of the Left about India's foreign policy could be addressed", the Prime Minister said.
    
"I have said that in public. India is too big a country to kowtow to any other country. India's foreign policy will be determined only by reference to India's sovereign enlightened national interests. We have no obligation on us to do other than respond to national interests", he said.