New Delhi: As the government continues efforts to convince Left parties on the urgent need to proceed with talks with IAEA, the global atomic watchdog is likely to convene a special session later this month.

The Indian nuclear issue is expected to figure at the meeting of Board of Governors at the end of this month, sources said here today. Significantly, the meeting is expected to take place shortly after IAEA Secretary General Mohammed El Baradei's visit here.

He will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee besides holding talks with top officials of Department of Atomic Energy and Ministry of External Affairs. As anxious Left parties watch closely El Baradei's visit from October 10, the Prime Minister today said he welcomed the "honoured guest".

"He is the head of an international agency. He is our honoured guest. We welcome him here," Singh told journalists here at an 'Iftar' party hosted by him. As part of implementation of the civil nuclear deal with the US, India has to negotiate a safeguards agreement with IAEA but it is not clear whether discussions in this regard will be held during El Baradei's visit here.

Left Parties, which are extending crucial outside support to the government, are opposed to operationalisation of the agreement and will be keenly monitoring El Baradei's visit. The Left parties have threatened to withdraw support to the government if it went ahead with operationalising the deal. The IAEA chief earlier visited India about two years ago.