US Ambassador David Mulford meets Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon
As India prepares to hold another round of talks with IAEA on a safeguards agreement, US Ambassador David Mulford on Monday met Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: As India prepares to hold another round of talks with IAEA on a safeguards agreement, US Ambassador David Mulford on Monday met Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, apparently to know the progress on implementation of the civilian nuclear deal.
Mulford was with Menon for about an hour during which the two are understood to have reviewed the progress on operationalisation of the deal, sources said.
The meeting came ahead of the next round of talks between India and IAEA expected later this week.
India and IAEA have held four rounds of discussions so far but failed to firm up the agreement, primarily because of persisting differences over India's right to build strategic fuel reserve and corrective measures that will be required if the fuel supply is stopped because of any circumstance.
India also wants acceptance of its separation plan by the IAEA.
Significantly, Mulford met Menon in the backdrop of his insistence that it was now or never for India to get such a deal, a comment which evoked sharp reactions from Left parties.
The US has been pressing for implementation of the nuclear deal during the tenure of Bush administration, failing which non-proliferation lobbies would force additional conditionalities into the agreement.
The Left parties yesterday attacked Mulford for "applying pressure" on India, saying it amounted to "intimidation".
Mulford and Menon exchanged views on various other issues, including Myanmar, from where the Foreign Secretary returned yesterday, the sources said.
Mulford was with Menon for about an hour during which the two are understood to have reviewed the progress on operationalisation of the deal, sources said.
The meeting came ahead of the next round of talks between India and IAEA expected later this week.
India and IAEA have held four rounds of discussions so far but failed to firm up the agreement, primarily because of persisting differences over India's right to build strategic fuel reserve and corrective measures that will be required if the fuel supply is stopped because of any circumstance.
India also wants acceptance of its separation plan by the IAEA.
Significantly, Mulford met Menon in the backdrop of his insistence that it was now or never for India to get such a deal, a comment which evoked sharp reactions from Left parties.
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The US has been pressing for implementation of the nuclear deal during the tenure of Bush administration, failing which non-proliferation lobbies would force additional conditionalities into the agreement.
The Left parties yesterday attacked Mulford for "applying pressure" on India, saying it amounted to "intimidation".
Mulford and Menon exchanged views on various other issues, including Myanmar, from where the Foreign Secretary returned yesterday, the sources said.
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