New Delhi, July 24
Despite Pakistan’s bid to erect roadblocks, India is confident that the safeguards agreement will pass the muster at the IAEA board meeting on August 1 in Vienna and has stepped up efforts to build a consensus among NSG members in favour of the Indo-US nuclear deal.

External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee said on the margins of a function that it was difficult to give an exact timeframe for completing the nuclear deal but India was hopeful that it would get the support of all NSG members.

Senior officials said the passage of the safeguards agreement by the IAEA board of governors was almost certain even if there was voting on it. “We only hope that no member presses for division and the agreement is passed by consensus as is the tradition,” they added.

Observing that Pakistan’s response was on expected lines, the officials recalled that Islamabad itself was interested in a nuclear deal with the US on the lines of the one worked out between New Delhi and Washington. However, the Bush administration refused to grant this favour to its close ally, clearly indicating that it was seriously concerned over Islamabad’s proliferation programme.

The officials were commenting on reports from Vienna saying Pakistan had circulated a letter to the board members, expressing concern that if the safeguards agreement was approved by the IAEA it would lead to increased Indian access to nuclear fuel and may contribute to a renewed nuclear arms race between the two South Asian countries.

Pakistan’s letter dated July 18, addressed to more than 60 nations, including members of the IAEA board and the NSG, warned that the safeguards agreement would hurt non-proliferation efforts and “threaten to increase the chances of a nuclear arms race in the subcontinent.”

Dismissing Islamabad’s argument, the Indian officials said safeguards agreements are traditionally not made controversial and approved without much opposition.

What, however, is causing some concern in the South Block is whether the NSG will grant waiver to India by consensus. “Even one member raising an objection over the waiver to India can complicate matters,” they pointed out.

Both India and the US are hopeful that the NSG meeting could be convened within 10 days of the IAEA approving the safeguards agreement so that deal goes to the US Congress in early September.

As part of lobbying with the NSG members, India has already despatched some of its key ministers and officials to different world capitals. Foreign secretary Shiv Shanker Menon has flown to Germany, who is currently the chairman of the NSG, while the Prime Minister’s special envoy Shyam Saran is in Ireland; he has been a votary of non-proliferation. From Dublin, Saran will travel to Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand. C.R. Gharekhan, another trusted aide of the Prime Minister, is travelling to some Islamic states.