Left firm on opposition to govt approaching IAEA

NEW DELHI: On a day when the government indicated it may approach the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Left reiterated its opposition to the government move. 

“The Left parties are of the firm opinion that the government should not proceed to seek the approval of the board of governors of the IAEA,” a joint statement issued by the four Left parties asserted.  

The strong statement by the Left parties came on the backdrop of attempts by the government to persuade them to at least allow it to proceed to the IAEA. 

The government’s main interlocutor with the Left on this issue, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, held two closed-door meetings with CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat. 

But little headway was made at the meetings, with the CPI(M) leader insisting on written assurances from the government that it would not sign the 123 agreement with the United States.

The joint UPA-Left meeting slated for the afternoon was also postponed for June 25, but the four Left parties met separately after which they decide to reiterate their opposition to the government’s proposed move. 

In the joint statement issued after the meeting, the Left parties said they had asked the government to make available the entire text of the safeguards agreement and since it was yet to provide it, “we have not been able to form an opinion on the safeguards agreement”.
j_ansari@dnaindia.net