Pranab hopeful of UPA-Left consensus on N-deal

KOLKATA: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday exuded confidence that a joint mechanism being worked out by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and Left parties would find a way out of the present imbroglio over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

"As the parliament is in session, I am not in a position to comment on it. What I can say is that the UPA-Left allies have developed a mechanism which will help find a way out of the present standoff over the nuclear deal," Mukherjee said here on the sidelines of a national seminar on 'SAARC: Accelerating Cooperation Through Connectivity' organised by the ministry of external affairs.

He, however, didn't comment on whether India would discuss the India-specific safeguards during its meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna in mid-September.

Mukherjee, who has emerged as the principle trouble-shooter for the government in the standoff with the Left, had announced on Thursday the formation of a committee to look into certain aspects of the bilateral agreement between   India and the US, the implications of the Hyde Act on the 123 Agreement and self-reliance in the nuclear sector.

Besides, the committee will also look into the impact of the agreement on the foreign policy and security cooperation.

The minister had earlier said the "operationalisation" of the nuclear deal would be linked to the committee's findings.