The Hindu : Front Page : Pranab hopeful of ending stand-off

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Sunday, Sep 23, 2007
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Pranab hopeful of ending stand-off

Staff Reporter

Kolkata: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said he was hopeful that the stand-off between the government and Left parties on the India-United States nuclear deal would be resolved at the October 5 meeting of the joint committee on the deal.

The committee has had two meetings — the first one on September 11 and the second on September 19. There was also exchange of notes by both sides. The Left parties submitted a note to the government last week and the latter came out with a reply on Monday.

This was followed by the Left parties’ 12-page note to the government.

“We will now sit and discuss the issue on October 5. Hopefully, we can reach a conclusion through discussion and dialogue,” he said. Mr. Mukherjee, who is the convener of the committee, said: “The latest note of the Left will be discussed at the coming meeting.”

Mr. Mukherjee was on his way to New York to address a session of the U.N. General Assembly. Asked about the possibility of meeting U.S. President George W. Bush, he said it was not possible to predict whom he might get to meet.

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