Left gives green signal to UPA to approach IAEA on safeguards agreement: Lead: Left UPA

After months of stalemated talks and barbs, parties representing the Left Front and the Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government today reached an agreement that will allow India to approach the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for talks on a safeguards agreement related to the 2005 US-India civil nuclear pact.

New Delhi, Nov.16 : After months of stalemated talks and barbs, parties representing the Left Front and the Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government today reached an agreement that will allow India to approach the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for talks on a safeguards agreement related to the 2005 US-India civil nuclear pact.

Disclosing this, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the outcome of talks with the IAEA will be presented before UPA-Left committee for its consideration.

"The committee has discussed the implications of the Hyde Act on the 123 agreement, on foreign policy and security matters. After further discussion it was decided that the impact of the provisions of the Hyde Act and the 123 Agreement on the IAEA safeguards agreement be examined," he told reporters after the meeting.

"This will require talks with the IAEA Secretariat for working out the text of the India-specific safeguards agreement. The government will proceed with the talks and the outcome will be presented to the committee for its consideration before it finalises its findings," Mukherjee added.

The Left parties, however, made it clear that the Government would only negotiate, but would not enter any kind of agreement without the prior sanction of the UPA-Left Committee.

The Left parties maintained their stance that they would not let the operationalisation of the Indo-US nuclear deal without the committee's approval.

On Thursday, the UPA Government hinted at beginning the talks with the international agency after the Left parties expressed softening of their stand.

The Left Front leaders, who have been opposing any negotiations with the IAEA as they believed that it would construe to operationalisation of the deal, agreed to allow the government to initiate the talks with the international body, but at the same time they said that no agreement would be signed without their approval.

CPI (M) General Secretary, Prakash Karat yesterday said that the proposed nuclear deal is not in the interest of the nation and there should be a debate on it in Parliament.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said that the Lok Sabha would have the much-delayed discussion on the Indo-US nuclear deal on November 27.

The government has also proposed discussion in the Rajya Sabha the next day, he said.

On Wednesday night, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met BJP leader A B Vajpayee apparently to seek the opposition's support for the deal.

The special UPA-Left committee convened by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was formed to resolve disagreements between the two sides over the nuclear deal.

The nuke-deal faces an informal US deadline related to securing approval of America's Congress well before the next year presidential polls.

Three more steps are required to operationalise the deal that include, safeguard agreement with the IAEA, amendment in the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group's charter and the passing of the 123-agreement by the US Congress.

ANI