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IBSA hails nuclear safeguards for India

— Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

Hands of friendship: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) and South African President Kgalema Motlanthe on the concluding day of the 3rd Summit of the India, Brazil and South Africa Dialogue Forum in New Delhi on Wednesday.

NEW DELHI: In a significant development, the India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) dialogue summit on Wednesday welcomed the “consensus decision” of the International Atomic Energy Agency approving the India-specific safeguards and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to adjust its guidelines to enable full civil nuclear cooperation between India and other countries.

With New Delhi getting a waiver from the 45-member NSG last month, the Delhi Declaration adopted on Wednesday also reiterated the “importance of ensuring that any multilateral decisions related to the nuclear fuel cycle do not undermine the inalienable right of the States to pursue nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in conformity with their international obligations”.

At a joint press conference with President Lula of Brazil and President Motlanthe of South Africa, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he thanked the leaders of both countries for their support in opening up civil nuclear cooperation.

Meanwhile, IANS quoted Mr. Motlanthe that his country did not have any objections to selling uranium to India. “We have not objections,” the President told journalists when asked whether his country would sell uranium to India after the September 6 NSG waiver. The Brazilian President, the report said, sidestepped the question.