Nuclear deal: India resumes talks with IAEA

VIENNA: India on Monday resumed another round of talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) here to negotiate the India-specific safeguards agreement which is crucial for the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal.

This round of negotiations is expected to complete the draft of the "agreed text" of the crucial new template specific to India and the meeting is expected to go on till Friday, an IAEA official told PTI.

The Indian delegation is headed by top Department of Atomic Energy official, Dr Ravi B Grover.

Sources said Indian negotiators and IAEA are also keeping the agency's Board of Governors updated on the progress of the consultations so that it would be easier when it officially comes for disussion during the Board meeting on March 3.

Although the next week's Board meet will mostly concentrate on the issues of Iran, sources said India may or may not come up for the official discussion.

India and IAEA had held four rounds of talks in Vienna since November last, apart from several informal consultations to work out a new template on safeguards specifically for India, a key requirement before the agreement comes into force.

Pressing India to speed up implementaion of the nuclear agreement, the US had recently said the negotiations with IAEA and nuclear suppliers' group (NSG) would be wound up by May failing which New Delhi will not get a similar deal.