Unfazed by the Unites States' position that time is running out on the civil nuclear deal, India on Monday said there are complex issues, which have to be dealt with step by step, and it will take time.
Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar said a safeguards agreement was being negotiated with the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time, suggesting that a delay in finalising this crucial pact was inevitable.
Kakodkar's remarks, in the backdrop of Washington insisting that the safeguards agreement needed to be clinched fast as time was running out, came when asked by newsmen about safeguards talks with the IAEA getting prolonged.
"If we are following a standard template, then it's one story, that's much easier. (But since this is the first time) it takes time," he said.
"There are complex issues. You have to deal with them one-by-one. It will take time. But it's moving forward. We hope to do it as soon as possible," Kakodkar said.
India and the IAEA have held four rounds of talks since November but failed to firm up the agreement, which is a crucial step for implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Asked if time was running out for the Indo-US nuclear deal, Kakodkar said: "The point is we have to get this done as early as possible but it has to be correctly done and it has to meet all the requirements and so it's a long technical process. There are several steps. We have to go through step-by-step".
The last round of talks was held in the third week of January. The two sides were to meet again in the middle of February but no dates have been fixed yet. The two sides have differences on issues
"There are complex issues. You have to deal with them one-by-one. It will take time. But it's moving forward. We hope to do it as soon as possible," Kakodkar said.
The US has been insisting that the safeguards agreement needed to be finalised fast as time was running out. US Ambassador David Mulford even said that it could be now or never for India if the deal is not completed during the tenure of President George W Bush.
Asked whether Washington was exerting pressure on India to push through the deal, Kakodkar said: "No, there is nothing like that. There is a step-by-step one has to go through. We will take everybody on board.....no ?".
However, Kakodkar parried questions on whether the deal would go through before change of guard at the White House.
"I am not an astrologer," he said when asked if the deal would go through in 2008.
Asked about the implications for the US and India if the deal does not go through during Bush's tenure, Kakodkar said: "We should continue our efforts. I will keep working for it. We should keep making our honest efforts."
Stating that he was positive on the deal going through provided the conditions are met, Kakodkar said, "If it goes through, it is good for us."
"We should sort of take and work on every step to make sure we move forward, keeping the interests of the country in view," he said.