Once the safeguards pact is cleared, India must win an unprecedented waiver from the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The NSG meeting is expected to be held here around August 21.

Atomic Energy Commission Chief Anil Kakodkar and other top nuclear officials are here for negotiations on the safeguards agreement and an Additional Protocol to be cleared by the IAEA and to convince NSG members to give New Delhi a “clean” waiver for implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal.

ENS adds: The safeguards agreement has come under fresh attack, this time from an advocacy group which has urged the Board of Governors not to approve the agreement in its present form. In a letter circulated to the Board members 48 hours before the text comes up for approval, the Arms Control Organisation has asked members to clarify provisions relating to the termination of the safeguards agreement, specifically whether they allow India to unilaterally withdraw its nuclear material and facilities from safeguards.

“Indian officials have suggested that India could terminate IAEA safeguards if fuel supplies are cut off and/or take other unspecified ‘corrective actions’ even if suppliers suspend or terminate nuclear exports to India because New Delhi renews nuclear testing,” the letter said.

“IAEA Board members should reject such an interpretation, which is inconsistent with the articles of the agreement that specify the grounds for terminating or suspending safeguards,” it said.

Though the organisation does not have any official sanction, sources said the idea was to put pressure on the IAEA secretariat and extract a statement saying unilateral withdrawal was indeed not possible.

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