New Delhi, July 31
On the eve of the crucial meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna, the government was today hopeful that Pakistan would not prove to be a stumbling block and go by the consensus in approving the India-specific safeguards agreement by the global nuclear watchdog.

“We are hopeful that the safeguards agreement will be adopted by consensus and Pakistan will not insist on voting as that would set a bad precedent,” official sources here said.

India is, however, not taking any chance and making last minute attempts to woo wavering members at the IAEA.

Chairman of the Department of Atomic Energy Anil Kakodkar is in Vienna and is understood to have met representatives of some IAEA countries. He also met IAEA director-general Mohammed el-Baradei and discussed the proposed safeguards agreement.

Meanwhile, reports from Vienna have suggested that Pakistan has been persuaded by Washington not to block the India-specific safeguards agreement or seek amendments in it.

On record, the South Block would not say anything on the IAEA meeting in Vienna tomorrow. The external affairs ministry spokesman said, “the proposal is there with the IAEA Board of Governors…let us see what happens.’

However, some key officials, who are involved in negotiations with the IAEA and the NSG member countries, were quite upbeat that the safeguards agreement would have a smooth sail at the meeting tomorrow.

India has already stepped up efforts to build a consensus among members of the NSG, which is supposed to give ‘clean exemption’ to New Delhi for undertaking nuclear commerce once the safeguards agreement was approved.