The Hindu : Front Page : "Discuss nuclear deal again"

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Friday, Dec 08, 2006
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"Discuss nuclear deal again"

Special Correspondent

Partnership must be between two equal, sovereign nations: Jaswant Singh

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party's Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Jaswant Singh, on Thursday demanded that the Prime Minister once again take the Opposition and other party leaders into confidence on the Indo-United States civilian nuclear cooperation deal and India "must stay within the substance of the Prime Minister's August 17 statement [on this subject] in Parliament."

The party stated that the objective of a "strategic partnership" with the U.S. was a "desirable goal," but that partnership must be between two equal and sovereign nations.

He expressed concern that U.S. Congressmen were trying to "attach their pet provisions" that were unrelated to the bill that would make possible the Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear cooperation.

Mr. Singh alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was "lobbying" for this agreement with the U.S. Senate Majority Leader against all protocol, a charge denied by Congress party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi who retorted with: "He must explain what kind of tango was he performing with Strobe Talbot during the years he was External Affairs Minister."

To a question from journalists, Mr. Singh said the party would like the matter to be discussed once again in Parliament and notices had been given in both Houses.

On Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's recent Kashmir proposal made public in an interview to a television channel, Mr. Jaswant Singh said that high-level diplomacy should not be conducted through public announcements.

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