New Delhi, July 6
With the Samajwadi Party (SP) endorsing the Indo-US nuclear deal, a confident Prime Minister leaves here tomorrow for the G-8 Summit in Japan amid indications from government sources that India could ‘soon’ approach the IAEA for the safeguards agreement.

Manmohan Singh, who will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, will meet US President George W. Bush on July 9 on the margins of the summit of the wealthiest nations.

The two leaders, who have much at stake in the success of the nuclear deal reached between them in July 2005, will review the progress in the operationalisation of the pact.

In a statement on the eve of his departure, Manmohan Singh said he would convey to the international community India’s belief that climate change, energy security and food security were interlinked, and required an integrated approach.

“The National Action Plan on Climate Change which was released recently underscores our commitment to address the challenge of climate change and outlines concrete steps to meet this challenge,” he said.

“At the international level, we will work with others to find solutions within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Bali Road Map, based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities,” he added.

Manmohan Singh said that in India’s view there could be no solution without taking into account the developmental imperatives and aspirations of developing economies. “For us, the foremost priority is the removal of poverty for which we need sustained rapid economic growth.”

The PM said he would have bilateral meetings with the leaders of Japan, Australia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea, Russia and the US and the Secretary General of the United Nations on the margins of the summit.

In addition, he said he looked forward to participating in an informal meeting of the Brazil-Russia-India-China (BRIC) leaders.

Meanwhile, sources said the government was now certain that it would manage the numbers in the Lok Sabha in the event of the withdrawal of support by the Left parties over the nuclear deal, thanks to the SP’s stand on the accord.

An official said now that a threat to the survival of the government had receded, India could go to the IAEA to finalise the safeguards agreement soon, may be just after Manmohan Singh’s return from his overseas tour.

Simultaneously, the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) will also be notified for a meeting to discuss and amend its guidelines to permit nuclear commerce with India, a process in which Washington has committed to help New Delhi.

However, India has a very limited time at its disposal as it looks at a September deadline to complete all formalities and get the final approval of the US Congress on the nuclear deal.

To meet this deadline, India will have to ensure that the safeguards agreement and the NSG amendments are in place by the time the US Congress reconvenes on the first Monday after Labour Day that falls on September 1.

A US Congressional delegation, on a visit to New Delhi last week, had given India the August deadline for bringing the deal to the US Congress if it was to be operationalised during the remaining term of the Bush administration.

With the SP breaking ranks with the UNPA in support of the deal, Manmohan Singh is now in a position to tell Bush that India can go ahead with the pact. The Left’s refusal to budge from its stand that the government could not proceed with the deal had earlier put a question mark on the PM’s visit to Japan.

The focus of the G-8 Summit will be on climate change. The G-8 comprises the top industrialised nations - the US, UK, Japan, Canada, Germany, Italy, France and Russia. India, China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa have been invited to the summit as outreach nations, also called O-5.

Three other countries - Australia, South Korea and Indonesia - have been invited for the first time for a meeting of major economies.