Meanwhile in Vienna, Pak pushes for a vote on India’s safeguards pact

As a member of the 35-member IAEA board of governors, Pakistan, sources said, is holding out against a consensus in the informal consultations underway among board members in Vienna ahead of the August 1 board meet that will consider this matter. Sources said hectic diplomacy is going on, especially by the US, to get Pakistan not to block a consensus.

Usually, the “Vienna spirit” is to achieve a consensus regardless of which side the majority is on any issue that comes to IAEA. Voting has always been the last option and, in fact, the last voting took place on the Iran nuclear programme two years ago. According to officials, there has rarely been an instance of voting on a safeguards agreement.

At first, it raised a technical point that the nuclear facilities to be brought under safeguards have not been listed in the annexures of the agreement finalised with India. As a board member, Pakistan took the view that the IAEA secretariat should wait till the facilities can be specifically listed and then bring the matter before the board of governors.

Further, Pakistan questioned the urgency for making an exception to the 45-60-day period usually needed for the board of governors to consider any such matter. While the IAEA secretariat and other members of the board prevailed on grounds that there have been precedents where such exceptions have been made, Pakistan seems to be continuing with its efforts.

Currently, sources said, hectic diplomacy is underway to get Pakistan not to insist on its demand. The danger of voting would mean that several other

countries which have strong positions on non-proliferation and are also members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group will be forced to take positions on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

This, in turn, can have an adverse fallout in the NSG where these countries would be bound by a public stand. Since NSG takes its decisions only by way of consensus, a lack of flexibility may escalate problems for US interlocutors who will be making the case for India.

... contd.