Monday, July 10 2006 11:01 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Early implementation of the path-breaking Indo-US nuclear deal is expected to come up during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's meeting with US President George Bush on the margins of the G-8 summit of industrialised nations in St Petersburg next week.

Singh, who will leave on a three-day visit for the Russian city on July 16, is likely to meet Russian President Vladmir Putin and other world leaders who will be discussing global energy security.

The programme of Singh, who has a heavy agenda, is still being fine-tuned, officials here said.

The Singh-Bush interaction will come close on the heels of the US House of Representatives' International Relations Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee giving their nod to the July 18 agreement which would pave the way for nuclear supplies to Indian reactors.

India and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had on Saturday (July 8,2006) held 'productive" talks on the proposed Safeguards Agreement that is required to be put in place to allow international community to resume nuclear trade with New Delhi.

The discussions between officials focussed on various aspects, including legal provisions and technical details that should form part of the India-specific Agreement.

The two delegations also talked about the monitoring mechanism that should be in place with regard to 14 Indian civilian nuclear reactors identified by India under the Separation Plan of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.