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Monday, May 05, 2008
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UPA-Left panel meet tomorrow

Sandeep Dikshit

No change in stand: Left

March 17 meeting was inconclusive
BJP to await outcome

NEW DELHI: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-Left Committee on the India-U.S. nuclear deal would meet here on Tuesday, with the Left maintaining that there would not be any change in its total opposition to the 123 agreement.

The Left expected the government to explain what it had achieved in negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“We don’t know whether they will request us to allow them to take the safeguards agreement for ratification by the IAEA. But the Left is firm in its stand. We are opposed to the 123 civil nuclear agreement with the U.S.,” said a senior Left leader.

“We will consider what the government reports to us on its talks with the IAEA. On that basis, we will take the issue forward,” said another leader.

The May 6 meeting is a continuation of the inconclusive March 17 Left-UPA interaction. Both sides had decided to pick up the threads in April but the meeting could not be scheduled due to their preoccupation with other issues.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will come out with its stand after Tuesday’s meeting but it also hinted that there would be no change in its basic position.

“Our stand is very clear. We are for the renegotiation of the agreement. It is not acceptable in the existing format,” said senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj.

The road ahead

Several steps remain before India’s isolation from the global civil nuclear commerce ends.

The first is the IAEA’s concurrence to a safeguards agreement with India.

The Left has made it clear that the government can negotiate with the IAEA, but should not approach it for a formal clearance till the joint panel gives it the go-ahead.

The next step would be to seek unanimous exemption from the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group. Bilateral agreements with several countries, including the U.S., would also have to be signed.

A Parliamentary committee and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee have underlined the need for taking into consideration the “sense of the House” (Parliament) on the issue.

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