New Delhi
3 August 2007
The leaders of the Left parties are likely to meet informally and to
hold consultations with the scientific community ahead of their meeting next week for
firming up their position on the India-United States civilian nuclear cooperation
agreement.
The CPI(M) and CPI leaders are likely to hold another round of discussions with the
government on the India-US civilian nuclear cooperation afterwards, prior to the
commencement of the monsoon session of Parliament on August 10.
CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat has said that his party would not like to say
anythign just yet. "The text (of the 123 Agreement) has just been released. We will say
not anything before studying it thoroughly. Left leaders are meeting here next week and
probably we will react after that," he said.
CPI National Secretary and Rajya Sabha member D Raja, in turn, said that they would
analyse the text and come out with a considered response in a couple of days. "We
have agreed to have another round of discussions with the government," he added.
CPI Parliamentary Party leader Gurudas Dasgupta told this newspaper that he had not
finished reading the text of the 123 Agreement. "I am going through it now," he replied
when he was contacted at his home.
All India Forward Bloc General Secretary Debabrata Biswas has said that the India-US
nuclear pact was a "complex subject" and the Left parties would consult scientists and
intellectuals before taking a comprehensive view of it.
Almost all the leaders of the Left parties insisted that they would need to study the
minute details of the text of the 123 Agreement because the issue at hand concerned
India's security interests, foreign policy and economy.
They indicated that the Left parties could be expected to also discuss any departure from
the Common Minimum Programme by the UPA, besides the Andhra Pradesh firing issue
and the decision taken by the Manmohan Singh Government to participate in joint naval
exercises with the US and other countries in the Bay of Bengal next month.
The Common Minimum Programme of the UPA reads: "Even as it pursues closer
engagement and relations with the USA, the UPA Government will maintain the
independence of India's foreign policy position on all regional and global issues."
Another relevant portion of the document said: "The UPA Government will pursue an
independent foreign policy keping in mind its past traditions. This policy will seek to
promote multi-polarity in world relations and oppose all attempts au unilateralism."
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had invited the CPI(M) and CPI leaders to his residence
on July 25 for a discussion on the nuclear agrement but the Left parties had chosen to
reserve their opinion until they had read the entire text of the 123 Agreement.
No comments:
Post a Comment