Proposed IAEA safeguards will confer nuclear status to India: PM

New Delhi, Mar 11 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today assured Parliament that the Separation Plan under the Indo-US nuclear deal would not adversely affect India's strategic programme to maintain a minimum credible nuclear deterrence.

New Delhi would continue to seek the status of a nuclear weapons state while finalising the India-specific safeguards for its civilian facilities with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), he told both Houses of Parliament.

''India will not accept the safeguards meant for non-nuclear weapon states which were signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),'' Dr Singh said while replying to day-long debates on the Indo-US nuclear deal in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

The five nuclear weapon states xxx Editors: pick up opening para of PAR 14 Nuclear-PM two LS.

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