New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has instructed his aides to arrange for a dialogue with leading nuclear scientists to address the scientific community's misgivings over the proposed India-United States agreement.

According to informed sources, the Prime Minister has noted that a number of distinguished nuclear scientists, including former chairmen and members of the Atomic Energy Commission, have been critical of the changes sought to be introduced in the July 2005 India-U.S. framework. It is also realised that the reservations expressed by some of these scientists have helped sustain the larger political opposition to the deal. Accordingly, the Prime Minister proposes to sit down with the critics and to explain the Government's viewpoint. The meeting could come about soon after Independence Day.

New conditionalities

The scientific community's misgivings have deepened since the two Houses of the American Congress added conditionalities to the July 2005 agreement. The official view is that most of these misgivings are based on unfamiliarity with the American legislative process.

However, the Prime Minister's establishment has no doubts that Dr. Singh would walk away from a "deal" that did not conform to the July 2005 framework and/or was deemed to be not in the national interest.

"We are very clear in our mind what our red lights are," said a senior official, intimately involved in the negotiations with Washington.

The official added that the deal "is a work in progress." He also pointed out "I am negotiating with the U.S. administration, not with the American Congress."

No re-negotiation

According to the official, the U.S. administration itself has conveyed to the Congressional leaders that it was not possible to "re-negotiate" the agreement.

The Indian negotiators have their list of stipulations they would regard as "deal-breakers." Many of these run parallel to the "concerns" voiced by the Left parties.

The Prime Minister proposes to address some of these concerns when Parliament debates the nuclear deal next week.

"The only thing we need to be mindful of is that there is entrenched opposition in the United States to this deal, and that we should not say anything that would be used by the anti-India people to break the deal," the sources added.

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