Friday, July 7 2006 11:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: India and the IAEA will hold negotiations here tomorrow (July 7,2006) on the proposed Safeguards Agreement which is required to be put in place to allow international community to resume nuclear trade with New Delhi.

The Indian side will include officials from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

Under the Indo-US civil nuclear deal signed in March during the visit of President George W Bush here, New Delhi and the IAEA have to work out an 'India-specific Safeguards Agreement' for supervision of civilian nuclear facilities of this country.

In the civil nuclear agreement, India has identified 14 of its 22 atomic reactors as civilian which will be covered under the IAEA safeguards agreement.

India is expected to seek an early conclusion of the agreement with IAEA in view of the US Congress' desire to see progress on it before the American Parliament approves change of law to allow nuclear trade with New Delhi.

International Committees of both US House of Representatives and Senate recently approved two bills providing for change of law that will end India's nuclear apartheid.