Highlights of the IAEA vote

- The agreement was put to vote immediately after the board reconvened post-lunch and adopted the draft text by consensus.

- Pakistan has sought time to speak  after the vote - and so has India.

- Dr Mohammed el-Baradei said the text "is an Infcirc/66-type safeguards agreement based on the Agency's standard safeguards practices and procedures" for states that are not party to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. By their nature, these agreements "are not comprehensive or full-scope safeguards agreements."

- Dr. el-Baradei said the "umbrella" nature of the agreement provides for a "more efficient mechanism for ensuring that safeguards requirements can be met". He said "It satisfies India's needs while maintaining all the Agency's legal requirements". Alluding to Pakistan's requests to be treated similarly as India, el-Baradei said that "such an 'umbrella' approach could also be used for the conclusion of other 66-type safeguards agreements".

- Seeking to allay fears of several European states that India may invoke the agreement's preamble which allows it to adopt "corrective measures" and withdraw facilities from safeguards at any point in the future, Dr. el-Baradei said. "The termination provisions contained in the agreement are the same for other 66-type agreements".

- In a reference to the provisions contained in the preamble, which India claims are binding though they are not part of the main body of the agreement Dr el-Baradei said, "Natually-as with all safeguards agreements-this agreement is subject to the general rules of international law. Therefore, the agreement should be read as an integral whole. The preamble provides for contextual background and safeguards are implemented in accordance with the terms of the agreement". 

- Dr el-Baradei also noted that India and the IAEA "have already begun discussions on an additional protocol to the draft safeguards agreement".

What is Additional Protocol?
The voluntary agreement between a state and the International Atomic Energy Agency to accept more stringent safeguards than those originally required to verify compliance with the Nonproliferation Treaty or other safeguards agreements. Devised in the 1990s following the discovery of Iraq's clandestine uranium-enrichment programs, it broadens the information on nuclear activities a state declares to the IAEA and provides additional rights for IAEA inspectors to verify this declaration, including taking swipe samples to check for possible undeclared nuclear activities in a country.