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Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 23, 2007
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Pranab: committee findings will be taken into account

Vinay Kumar

Panel on nuclear deal to meet again on Nov. 16

— Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

Taking stock: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee (third from left) with (from left) Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal; Minister for Water Resources Saifuddin Soz; CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury; Raiway Minister Lalu Prasad; CPI leaders A.B. Bardhan and D.Raja after the UPA-Left meeting on the India-U.S. nuclear deal in New Delhi on Monday.

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Monday that members of the United Progressive Alliance-Left committee on the India-U.S. civilian nuclear deal expressed the hope that the operationalisation of the deal would take into account the findings of the committee.

Reading out a brief prepared statement at the end of the fifth meeting of the committee here, Mr. Mukherjee, who is also the convener of the 15-member panel, said, “Issues currently before it [the committee] would be addressed in an appropriate manner and the operationalisation of the deal will take into account the Committee’s findings.” He said the next meeting would be held on November 16.

“The committee continued its deliberations in a constructive and cordial atmosphere on the issues that have been raised concerning the implications of the proposed India-U.S. bilateral agreement on civil nuclear energy cooperation, including the implications of the Hyde Act on India’s nuclear programme and its pursuit of an independent foreign policy,” Mr. Mukherjee said.

He said the committee had before it “further inputs sent by the Left parties.” The UPA would give its reply in due course, he added.

The meeting was attended by all members of the committee, except Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, who is abroad.

Most of the discussions of the committee have been completed. Monday’s meeting held detailed deliberations on the Hyde Act, its implications on the 123 Agreement and India’s foreign policy.

The committee would now focus on how to finalise its findings, well placed sources in the Left parties said.

It is clear from the statement that the mechanism of the committee is still at work and the government will not proceed with operationalisation of the nuclear deal, the main demand put forward by the Left parties.

Timeline won’t be observed

It is also amply clear that the time frame of the nuclear deal will not be adhered to. It seems that the timeline, as referred to by U.S. officials, will not be observed as regards India-specific safeguards negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) scheduled for October, negotiations with the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) slated for November and taking the deal to the U.S. Congress in January 2008.

Asked if the nuclear deal was off, Communist Party of India general secretary A.B. Bardhan said the statement reiterated the position as on August 30 — at the time of the formation of the UPA-Left committee — that its findings would be taken into account before the government proceeded with the deal.

He said the statement pointed out that operationalisation of the deal was being put off until the findings of the committee were finalised.

Earlier in the day, UPA allies met at the Race Course Road residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss the strategy for the committee meeting. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi attended.

The four Left parties — the CPI(M), the CPI, the Forward Bloc and the RSP — also held a meeting before the committee meeting.

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