India’s efforts to firm up a safeguards agreement with the IAEA have a moved a decisive step forward with the agency today for the first time giving a firm statement that both sides were “close to a final text”, indicating that only a few minor issues now remained before the draft agreement is ready for further consideration.

It’s learnt that talks are continuing even after the Indian negotiating team returned after the fifth round of productive discussions last week. “We are close to a final text,” an IAEA spokesperson told The Indian Express when asked about the status of these discussions.

As a scheduled meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors is currently in session, sources said, India’s Permanent Representative to the IAEA Saurabh Kumar was holding consultations with agency officials and other key countries on the margins. Based on the feedback he is receiving from New Delhi, there is a concerted effort underway to firm up the draft agreement.

Clearly, India and IAEA have remained in close touch after the DAE-led negotiating team returned with a draft that was almost ready with only some areas of divergence on representing issues like the right to take corrective action in the text of the agreement. Sources said there has been movement with both sides showing flexibility in a bid to end the negotiations at the earliest.

After the last round of talks that concluded on February 28, the IAEA had said: “Considerable progress has been achieved during the round of negotiation about a safeguards agreement between IAEA and India held this week. Consultations between India and the Agency will continue.”

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