ON BOARD PM'S AIRCRAFT : Buoyed by the turn of events on the political front for the Indo-US nuclear deal, an upbeat Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today made it clear that India will go to the IAEA with the safeguards agreement "very soon' and that he did not expect elections before time. He said he had been assured that once India moves the IAEA, the remaining processes will "move fast'. The PM made these remarks even as the Associated Press, reporting from Vienna, quoted diplomats as saying that the IAEA will hold a board meeting on July 28 to approve the agency's nuclear rules for India. The diplomats, the report said, demanded anonymity in divulging the date of the meeting because their information was confidential and not yet formally announced by India or the Vienna-based agency. Speaking to the media on his way to the G8 Summit in Toyako, Singh, on being asked when would his government approach the IAEA, said: "I will tell him (President Bush) that we remain committed to the civil nuclear cooperation agreement. As far as the precise date (on approaching IAEA), I would not like to say it when I am abroad. But we will take a decision very soon. You will hear about it when it is on.' Not only was he confident of his government surviving the full term, he also said he wasn't afraid of facing Parliament if there was need to prove his strength on the floor of the House. "We are not afraid of facing Parliament and will cross the bridge when we get to it. We don't need Mr Advani's advice on the issue,' he said when he was asked about the BJP leader's demand that the government should prove its majority. Top officials accompanying the PM indicated later that the government will first look to hold a meeting of the UPA-Left committee on the nuclear deal soon after the PM returns and then announce the final decision to approach IAEA. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was working to schedule a meeting of the UPA-Left committee on July 10. The Prime Minister, however, has already taken the call and will convey the same to US President George W Bush, asking him to be prepared to execute US commitments which includes getting an exemption from the NSG. He was unfazed by prospects of the Left withdrawing support once the government goes to Vienna. "I am not worried. As and when such a contingency arrives, we are well equipped to deal with it.' At the same time, Singh made it a point to underline that he does not hold a grudge with the Left on the issue. Describing them as "patriots', he said there was a difference of opinion on the issue but he was still hopeful of taking them along. "They are valuable colleagues and we hope we can find a way out. I sincerely believe that this deal is in India's long term national interests... but I respect the sentiments of our Left colleagues. They are patriots and I sincerely hope we can resolve our differences in a manner that the deal can go through while also addressing their concerns' The PM said he understood the larger points being raised by the Left on the conduct of an independent foreign policy, but made it clear that he had conveyed to them on earlier occasions his belief that India was too large a country to "kowtow anyone'. Over the next two days, Singh will actively push for reviving international political momentum on the nuclear deal. He will be meeting leaders from Russia, Canada, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia besides Bush. "Our attempt has been in the past and I will reinforce that effort to impress upon the global leaders to support India's civil nuclear cooperation agreement as and when it goes before the IAEA and the NSG.' Singh will also extend invitations Russia's new President Andrei Medvedev and the Australian Prime Minister. Both these countries are key players in the nuclear arena. The third important country is France and PM is expected to visit Paris in September-end. According to the Prime Minister, he has been assured that once India takes the decision to move to IAEA, the remaining processes will "move fast'. "The Board of Governors will have to take a call and I cannot anticipate how long. I surely hope the world community will help us to tackle all this as soon as possible and fortunately we have the support of the major powers the United States, Russia, France and Britain. I don't except the decision to be a problem but I cannot anticipate how much time it will take,' he said. While Singh will be busy engaging the political leadership of the US and other key NSG countries, National Security Advisor M K Narayanan is expected to meet US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte to discuss details of the next steps in the nuclear deal. Narayanan will also meet the Chinese Special Representative on boundary dispute Dai Bingguo, said sources.