New Delhi
5 October 2007
The UPA has "more or less accepted" the Left's demand that the next
steps for operationalising the nuclear deal with the United States will not be taken in a
hurry. It is also willing to hold a debate on the nuclear deal in the winter session of
Parliament.
The UPA on Friday conveyed as much to the Left parties when they met for a third round
of talks on the proposed India-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement. However, the UPA
sought to impress upon the Left that the Manmohan Singh Government should in the
interim be allowed to hold talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for an
India-specific safeguards agreement.
The Left was told that the IAEA negotiations will take at least four weeks. A notice will
then have to be given to the IAEA Board of Governors for its approval. All this, the
government insisted, will take time and it could do without further delay. It also held out
an assurance that nothing will be signed without showing Left parties the text of
agreement.
The Left, for its part, remained unconvinced. If the government has waited this long, it
can wait more, it said, maintaining that no negotiations can start when discussion is on.
It also asserted that the differences in perception on the implications of the Hyde Act
remain.
Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee, who is the convenor of the UPA-Left
committee, read out a brief statement after Friday's meeting. He said: "The meeting
carried forward the earlier discussions on the basis of inputs provided by both sides.
The discussions were held in a cordial atmosphere and will continue at the next meeting
of the committee, scheduled to be held at 11 am on October 9."
The issues of assured fuel supply and technology transfer were discussed in the
meeting. Also discussed was the UPA's reply to a note given by the Left parties in the
last meeting. The Left gave another note on foreign policy and security. The UPA agreed
to respond to it on October 9.
CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury, who accompanied CPI(M) General Secretary
Prakash Karat for the meeting, told reporters that there will be "subsequent meetings"
after the October 9 talks. "Till these are over there will be no question of proceeding [with
the IAEA safeguards negotiations]," he said. Indications are that a meeting could take
place on October 14 and a decision on the date for subsequent meeting will be taken on
that day.
All India Forward Bloc General Secretary Debabrata Biswas, in turn, said that the Left
parties maintained that the Manmohan Singh Government must not proceed further to
operationalise the India-United States civil nuclear cooperation agreement till the
committee arrives at findings. "That impression we still have," he said as he left Mr
Pranab Mukherjee's 13 Talkatora Roiad residence, the venue of the meeting.
Union Minister of Railways and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad, who put an
arm around Mr Yechury as they emerged from the meeting, said that the UPA stood
shoulder to shoulder with the Left parties. "[We are] going in the right direction," he told
a reporter who wanted to know how the talks went.
The meeting was not without its lighter moments. Mr Lalu Prasad, in his inimitable
manner, wanted to know whether he should begin work to deliver the 2007-2008 Railway
Budget in February next year or not. He was asked to carry on with his work and not
worry about the survival of the UPA Government.
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