Vienna - Member states of the UN nuclear watchdog, the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the international
nuclear export control group were to seek clarification of India's
nuclear inspection agreement at a briefing with a senior Indian
official on Friday.
Members of the 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors are set to ask
Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon questions about possible
loopholes in the safeguards agreement with the IAEA.
The agreement would allow the agency to monitor Indian civilian
nuclear reactors.
Board members say it is likely to be adopted at a meeting on
August 1 but some governments are concerned about 'corrective
measures' referred to in the text, which India may take if its
nuclear fuel supply were interrupted, possibly after a nuclear
weapons test.
A European diplomat said this 'seems to allow India to terminate
the agreement under certain conditions.' A Western diplomat said it
could also mean that India could seek alternative means of getting
nuclear fuel.
The inspection agreement is part of its nuclear deal with the
United States, under which New Delhi agreed to separate its nuclear
energy sector from the nuclear weapons programme. In return, the US
will provide nuclear fuel and technology for civilian power reactors.
The Western diplomat also said that other provisions in the
agreement give India too much discretion in deciding what facilities
would be monitored and when the IAEA would start doing so.
European Union members on the board have demanded another formal
briefing by IAEA officials that will take place on August 25, as
Friday's meeting is an informal event organized by India.
One board member told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that although
the agreement would go through on August 1, it was still not clear if
it would be adopted unanimously.
Members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the 45 nuclear
exporting countries that define export control rules, were also to
attend the briefing by Foreign Secretary Menon.
After the IAEA Board green-lights the safeguards agreement, the
NSG has to change its nuclear export control rules, as India is not
party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Only then will the US
Congress ratify the nuclear pact with India.
'The main problem is not safeguards. The safeguards agreement is
the first step for the NSG to open exports to India,' a European
official said.
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