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Indian Prime Minister Singh hails IAEA approval as a "milestone"
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 02 - 08 - 2008


Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh welcomed
the International Atomic Energy Agency's approval of an inspection
protocol with the country, terming it as a "milestone" in India's
quest towards gaining access to international nuclear trade,
officials said Saturday.
The IAEA Board of Governors on Friday approved the India-specific
Safeguards Agreement with the consensus of all 35 board members, DPA reported.
For India, the agreement was a pre-condition before the US
Congress can ratify a US-India nuclear deal which gives India access
to civilian nuclear fuel and technology from abroad.
Singh who is in Colombo to attend a South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meet issued a statement on Friday night
thanking the US and UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohammed ElBaradei for
their backing.
"I am delighted to hear that the IAEA Board of Governors has
decided, by consensus, to approve the India-specific Safeguards
Agreement," Singh, a prime-mover of the deal, said in the statement.
"This is an important day for India, and for our civil nuclear
initiative for the resumption of India's cooperation with our friends
abroad," said Singh whose government faced a parliamentary trust vote
after communist parties quit his coalition in protest against the
deal.
Maintaining that the civil nuclear initiative is "good for India
and good for the world," Singh said. "I am deeply appreciative of the
historic significance of this milestone in our cooperation with the
IAEA and the international community in peaceful uses of atomic
energy."
He expressed gratitude to the IAEA Board of Governors, India's
"partners and friends abroad and in particular to the US, for making
this important step in the IAEA possible."
Singh said as India moves forward towards the goal of sustainable
development and energy security, peaceful uses of atomic energy will
play an increasingly important role.
The Indian establishment now looks forward to "clean and
unconditional" exemption from the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group
which will meet on August 21 to consider changing guidelines to allow
New Delhi to have civil nuclear cooperation with the world.
Both India and US have been aiming to get the required clearances
by the IAEA and NSG by August so that the agreement can finally be
placed before the US Congress in early September for ratification.
The administration of outgoing US President George W Bush appears
keen to conclude the deal before the US presidential election is held
in November.
"We will work closely with the government of India in the days
ahead for rapid completion of the ratification process through IAEA,
Nuclear Suppliers Group and US Congress," US envoy to India David C
Mulford said recently.


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