Onboard PM’s Aircraft, July 7
Unfazed by the Left parties’ threat to withdraw support to his government, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today announced that India would “very soon” approach the IAEA for a nuclear safeguards agreement, a process he expects to move “very fast”.
Amid reports that the board of the IAEA, Vienna-based international nuclear watchdog, will meet on July 28 to consider the safeguards agreement which will form part of the Indo-US nuclear deal, Singh told journalists on board his special aircraft, that he did not expect the process to take too long.
“Well, I am not worried”, a relaxed Prime Minister said when asked if he was concerned about the possibility of the Left pulling the plug when he is abroad. As and when such a contingency arises, we are going to deal with it," he said while on his way from New Delhi to the Japanese island of Sapporo for the G-8 Summit where he will meet US president George W. Bush on Wednesday with the nuclear deal at the centre of their discussions.
At the same time, the Prime Minister sounded conciliatory about the Left saying that they were “patriots” and that he would like to find a way, which would address their concerns and also see the deal through.
Voicing the hope that the world community would help India “get over this (deal)” as soon as possible, Singh said all major powers such as US, Russia, Britain and France to it. He did not expect China to be a “problem” although he had no firm assurance from them.
“I have been telling him (George W Bush) and I have always told him that I am committed to the civil nuclear cooperation agreement. That it has been my effort and it will always be my effort to push the agreement and that our
government stands committed,” Singh said.
Initially he was reluctant to say when the government would approach the IAEA. But when pressed for a specific time frame and asked how soon, he replied, “Well I can’t tell right now. But you will hear about it when we take such a decision.” Earlier, the Prime Minister was replying to a question as to what he would tell President Bush when he meets him in Japan and when the government would approach the IAEA.
To a question about statement emanating from the US that time was running out for the deal, Singh said as for the timetable honestly, he could not anticipate. “We have been assured that once we take the decision to go to the IAEA, the process will move pretty fast”, he said.
Asked about Advani’s statement that the government should seek a vote of confidence in Lok Sabha the moment the Left parties withdraw support, the Prime Minister shot back “we will cross that bridge when reach there. We are not afraid of facing Parliament. We will abide by all parliamentary norms that should apply in a great democracy that India is. Mr Advani need not give any advice to us”.
Singh said he would explain to the world leaders during bilateral discussions what India is trying to do on the deal. “Naturally civil nuclear cooperation (with US) would figure in all discussions. My commitment in the past has been and I will reinforce this effort to impress upon global leaders that India’s civil nuclear cooperation agreement as and when it goes before the IAEA and the NSG we obviously seek the support of the world community in both these fora. That would be the main concern,” Singh said.
On questions about apprehensions over the US support, the Prime Minister said: “Once India takes the decision, the US has to fulfill its promise. “There is the July 18, 2005 joint statement in which the US has publicly stated that they would help us get through the IAEA and the NSG and I hope that they do their work”.
— PTI
