January 18th, 2008 
krishna The fourth and final round of India-IAEA talks on India-specific safeguards will be held in Vienna on January 16. The Indian technical team will leave for Vienna on January 15 for the crucial round where the nuts and bolts of the final agreement will be fastened.
Wire money online to India with Xoom.com for as low as $4.99.
It is understood that the two sides have acquired a fair amount of convergence and the 35-nation body had agreed to most of the Indian concerns. The Left parties had conveyed their concerns to the government mainly on four points:
(a) Continuity of fuel supply,
(b) Inspections to be carried out only by the IAEA,
(c) Strategic fuel reserves and
(d) Provision of alternate fuel from rest of the world in case the US stops fuel supplies in the event of a fresh nuclear test by India.
External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee’s contention is that these issues are not merely the concerns of the Left parties but of the entire nation.
The IAEA is understood to have agreed to Indian suggestions on the first two points and is believed to have an open mind on the other two. A source said there was a forward movement on the India- IAEA talks and disagreed with the prophets of doom. The talks have spilled over to the fourth round not because of differences alone but because such an agreement is going to be an agreement in perpetuity and the UPA government would like to do an open-and-shut job.
The subject is too technical and New Delhi would have to make sure that everything is in perfect order. India and the International Atomic Energy Agency will have to successfully negotiate a highly-technical document called INFCIRC 66 which focuses circumstances requiring safeguards, nuclear materials subject to safeguards, exemption from safeguards, exemption related to reactors, suspension of safeguards, termination of safeguards, transfer of safeguarded nuclear material out of the state, safeguards procedures, routine inspections, initial inspection of principal nuclear facilities, special inspections, special procedure for reactors, special procedures relating to safeguarded nuclear material outside principal nuclear facilities and design of storage facilities.
Besides these, there are scores of technical definitions like “conversion plant” and “fabrication plant” which have to be agreed to between the two sides.
The visiting Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis today said Greece, a member country of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, would have “no objection” to the NSG allowing nuclear commerce with India if it meets international standards and concludes an agreement with the IAEA.
Kostas Karamanlis, who arrived here on a three-day state visit, made this remark in response to a question at a joint press conference with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh after their talks at Hyderabad House this evening. The Greek leader said while Greece did not use nuclear power, it was not opposed to the proposal to remove India from the exemption list.
Manmohan Singh said India supported the re-unification of Cyprus. Earlier, both the Prime Ministers held bilateral and one-to-one talks. The Greek PM addressed the business leaders and said the two sides were working on a double taxation avoidance treaty, as well as for cooperation in air transport.
The visiting dignitary also called on President Pratibha Patil and held discussions with Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, leader of opposition L.K. Advani and external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee. A banquet was hosted in his honour by the Prime Minister at Hyderabad House. Karamanlis also visited Agra and Jaipur, before returning to Athens.
Posted in 
