Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon was at his vintage best last week as he stepped out of the shadows at the briefing on the safeguards agreement in Vienna. There were no questions asked, barring the odd clarification, with spellbound foreign diplomats remarking that the Indian Foreign Secretary was in “fine form”. The other encouraging news was that Pakistan and China sent junior officers, not their ambassadors, to attend the briefing meant for the entire IAEA board and NSG members. South Block feels this may indicate a lack of interest to oppose a fast-building consensus, though it may be too early to conclude the same. The EU, however, has asked for a separate briefing from the IAEA Secretariat on July 25.
