Left-UPA nuke meet inconclusive

Left says they are delaying the IAEA deadline to kill the deal completely

NEW DELHI; The government on Monday briefed the Left and other UPA leaders on the outcome of its India-specific safeguard talks with IAEA. But the comrades are not satisfied with the outcome.

They raised some “queries” and reserved their comments saying that they have to consult experts and study IAEA response. So government interlocutors and the Left decided to meet again in April again.

Senior Left leaders interpreted the seventh meeting of the UPA-Left committee as “an exercise to buy more time” to kill the deal. They said after they give their response in writing to the government sometime in mid-April, it will have to respond in writing.

The Left can again seek clarifications and by that time the  IAEA deadline may expire.  After an hour-long meeting of the panel attended by external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, finance minister P Chidambaram, science and technology minister Kapil Sibal, railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, CPI(M)’s Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury and other Left leaders, Mukherjee issued a statement saying:

“The outcome of the negotiations between India and the IAEA on the India-specific safeguards agreement was presented to the members of the committee. They felt further discussions were needed. It was decided to hold the next meeting of the committee in April 2008.”
k_benedict@dnaindia.net