New Delhi - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh welcomed the International Atomic Energy Agency's approval of an inspection protocol with the country, terming it as a "milestone" in India's quest towards gaining access to international nuclear trade, officials said Saturday.

The IAEA Board of Governors on Friday approved the India-specific Safeguards Agreement with the consensus of all 35 board members.

For India, the agreement was a pre-condition before the US Congress can ratify a US-India nuclear deal which gives India access to civilian nuclear fuel and technology from abroad.

Singh who is in Colombo to attend a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meet issued a statement on Friday night thanking the US and UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohammed ElBaradei for their backing.

"I am delighted to hear that the IAEA Board of Governors has decided, by consensus, to approve the India-specific Safeguards Agreement," Singh, a prime-mover of the deal, said in the statement.

"This is an important day for India, and for our civil nuclear initiative for the resumption of India's cooperation with our friends abroad," said Singh whose government faced a parliamentary trust vote after communist parties quit his coalition in protest against the deal.

Maintaining that the civil nuclear initiative is "good for India and good for the world," Singh said. "I am deeply appreciative of the historic significance of this milestone in our cooperation with the IAEA and the international community in peaceful uses of atomic energy."

He expressed gratitude to the IAEA Board of Governors, India's "partners and friends abroad and in particular to the US, for making this important step in the IAEA possible."

Singh said as India moves forward towards the goal of sustainable development and energy security, peaceful uses of atomic energy will play an increasingly important role.

The Indian establishment now looks forward to "clean and unconditional" exemption from the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group which will meet on August 21 to consider changing guidelines to allow New Delhi to have civil nuclear cooperation with the world.

Both India and US have been aiming to get the required clearances by the IAEA and NSG by August so that the agreement can finally be placed before the US Congress in early September for ratification.

The administration of outgoing US President George W Bush appears keen to conclude the deal before the US presidential election is held in November.

"We will work closely with the government of India in the days ahead for rapid completion of the ratification process through IAEA, Nuclear Suppliers Group and US Congress," US envoy to India David C Mulford said recently. (dpa)