Nandigram brings N-deal breather for government

The Left's pre-occupation with recent violence in Nandigram has ensured that the government has got some breathing space to go ahead with negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over a safeguards agreement, which is necessary to operationalise the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement.

The government, however, is not counting on the reprieve on a permanent basis. A top source in the government told Business Standard that the IAEA safeguards agreement worked to a set formula and did not require complex negotiations.

"The agreement has a pre-set proforma, called the Information Circular number 66. This requires both parties to just fill in the blanks, mentioning the number and kind of nuclear reactors that will be a part of the under the agreement," said the source.

What the Indian government is hoping for from the agreement is a different thing altogether. "We are hoping to wedge in a clause in the IAEA agreement which will guarantee us consistent fuel supply as a safety measure," added the source.

As far as the Left is concerned, the government is living on a hope and a dream "Did you imagine after the hard positions taken by the Left that even this much would happen. The epitaph of the nuclear deal is yet to be written. This Winter session of Parliament was supposed to be about getting a sense of the House against the nuclear deal, but it has turned into a session about Nandigram and Taslima Nasreen, with the nuclear deal as a side show," said the source.

"The draft agreement is not likely to be discussed in the Left-UPA panel meetings since it is highly technical, but the question of what the Left will do after we signal that the draft agreement is ready is still open," said a top source in the government.

"We will have to strategise on this," admitted the source. The Indo-US nuclear deal will be discussed in Parliament this week under a rule that does not entail voting, a relief for the government.

"The prime minister is optimistic after Chinese premier Wen Jiabao offered support for the deal at the ASEAN summit when and if India goes to the Nuclear Suppliers' Group. The rest of us feel that the Chinese may not overtly oppose the deal but may do so through the Nordic countries,"said the source.

Meanwhile, with Indian negotiators expected to resume their talks with the IAEA soon (the first round ended on Friday), Atomic Energy Commission chief Anil Kakodkar said India was firm on securing "clear and unconditional" exemptions from the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) countries while continuing the discussions with the IAEA.