Amit Baruah
NEW DELHI: : India claimed on Saturday night that its vote against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was based on "its own independent assessment" and not linked to its nuclear deal with the United States.
"The Indo-U.S. nuclear cooperation agreement stands on its own, based as it is on a mutual recognition of Indian energy requirements ... The resolution we have voted for is a E.U.-3 initiative and our decision is the culmination of very intensive and high-level consultations with the German, French and British leadership. Their objectives and ours are similar and there has been a willingness on their part to take on board our major concerns," the External Affairs Ministry spokesman said about India's vote.
India said it would have preferred to have a consensus resolution since the previous resolutions on the Iran issue had been adopted by consensus. However, the E.U.-3 draft enjoyed the support of a significant majority of delegations and was arrived after extensive consultations.
In a statement at the IAEA governing board, India welcomed the fact that the draft resolution has agreed to keep the matter within the purview of the agency itself. "Our support for the resolution, despite our reservations, is based on the premise that the intervening period will be used by all concerned to expand the diplomatic space to satisfactorily address all outstanding issues. India supports keeping the door open for dialogue and consensus and avoidance of confrontation."
"The IAEA Board has dealt with this matter so far through a series of consensus resolutions. We would have preferred to maintain that tradition. Our objective has been to enable the IAEA to fulfil its mandate in Iran in the most efficient manner possible and to give the international community the confidence it needs in accordance with the relevant safeguards agreements. We welcome the cooperation that Iran has been extending to the IAEA to enable it to fulfil its mandate."
"We are confident that in the coming days, we would be able to find a way to reconcile Iran's need for nuclear energy for its development with the international community's concern over proliferation."
