Mumbai, Jan. 1 (PTI): A delegation is leaving for Vienna tomorrow for the third round of talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency on a safeguards agreement, a follow-up to the India-US civilian nuclear deal.

The team will hold talks at the IAEA headquarters on the “agreed text” for India-specific safeguards, one of the pre-requisites for operationalisation of the deal, mooted in July 2005, according to atomic energy department sources here.

The talks, after a round each in November and December, could possibly be the final one, the sources said.

The Indian team is headed by Ravi B. Grover, director, strategic planning wing of the department.

Once the text on the safeguards agreement, drafted by the IAEA, is finalised, it has to be approved by the UPA-Left panel on the deal. The text is expected to be put before the 15-member political commitee for deliberation, the sources said.

The first talks on the safeguards agreement were initiated by IAEA director-general Mohamed ElBaradei and Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar on November 21.

After an easy sailing for the “landmark” nuclear deal in 2006, the pact found itself in choppy waters in 2007 with the Left threatening to withdraw support to the Congress-led government over it.

Although the Left finally allowed the government to go ahead with the IAEA talks, it later said the deliberations should conclude by the end of December 2007.

International cooperation in nuclear commerce is possible only after India-specific safeguards are finalised with the IAEA followed by a “clean” and “unconditional” waiver for India from the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) and the “up-down” vote of the US Congress on the 123 Agreement.

As uncertainties loomed over the deal during the major part of 2007, the atomic energy department, which had hoped to get a few imported power plants and fuel to expand the indigenous nuclear power programme, had to speed up its efforts to explore and mine uranium.

Several American and French companies are already competing to do business with their Indian counterparts, especially on fuel chain supply.