The Hindu Business Line : Impasse on nuclear deal continues

New Delhi, June 25 With no visible tempering down of differences over the Indo-US nuclear deal, there seems to be little scope for a compromise between the UPA Government and its Left allies. However, at a meeting of their joint panel on the proposed deal here on Wednesday, it was decided that the panel would finalise its findings on the issue “in due course.”

“The committee completed its discussions on all aspects of the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement. The next meeting of the committee, to be convened in due course, will finalise its findings,” the External Affairs Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, reading from a prepared statement, told newspersons after the 90-minute meeting. He, however, took no questions.

Timing crucial

The timing of the next meeting assumes significance since the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, is keen on an outcome on the issue before he visits Japan on July 7 for the G8 Summit, where he will meet the US President, Mr George W. Bush, on the sidelines. The findings of the UPA-Left panel are linked to the Government moving ahead with the next step on the India-US nuclear deal — going to the IAEA to wrap up an India-specific safeguards agreement. The CPI leader, Mr A .B. Bardhan, told a news channel, late on Wednesday, the Left would not allow the Government to go to the IAEA.

All the 12 members of the committee, except the NCP leader, Mr Sharad Pawar, who is out of the country, attended the meeting — the ninth for the UPA-Left panel on the deal. The meeting, which was postponed last week, took place amidst deepening stand-off between the UPA and its Left allies.

More ahead

After reaching a safeguards agreement with the IAEA, New Delhi has to lobby for a special specific waiver with the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, following which the nuclear deal has to be forwarded for a final ratification by the US Congress.

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