No negotiations with NSG till domestic concerns about N-deal are resolved, says PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday made it clear that India would not talk to any member nations of the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) till it resolve the domestic concerns about the deal.

By Ravi Shankar

On Board PM's special aircraft, Oct 18 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday made it clear that India would not talk to any member nations of the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) till it resolve the domestic concerns about the deal.

During his return from the five-day visit to Nigeria and South Africa, Singh said, "I think we have to resolve our problems at home ant that the process is on."

On being asked whether he discussed about the nuclear deal with South Africa and Brazil- both are members of the NSG- on the sidelines of the trilateral IBSA Summit, Singh replied, "Our discussions with members of the NSG will only come after we have an India specific safeguards agreement with the IAEA. Only after that the NSG members will consider cooperation with us."

He said that the government is trying all the efforts to evolve a national consensus on the issue.

"I hope that the process which emerges as a result of a wide ranging discussions with our coalition partners will enable us to move forward," he added.

Singh admitted that if something does not go as planned then it does have an affect, and that one has to live with 'uncertainties'.

However, he added that he has not given up the hope on the successful culmination of the nuclear deal.

He reiterated that his government is not one-issue government and that setback on one issue does not mean the "end of life".

"We have done many things and there are lots of things to be done," he added. n being asked to comment on some of his coalition partners having said that they had reservations about the nuclear deal from the very onset, Singh replied, " This agreement (123-agreement) was approved by the Cabinet. So where is the question of the UPA going back on it?"

"This was part and parcel of the Cabinet process," he added.

Earlier, some of the coalition partners, particularly the Sharad Pawar led NCP, Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD and M Karunanidhi led DMK had expressed their reservations about the deal after the Left's opposition to the nuclear agreement reached its zenith, leading to speculation that the Communists may withdraw their support from the Government.

He flayed the BJP for questioning him and his party's moral right to be in power after the UPA government agreed to halt negotiations on the nuclear deal under the pressure of the Left Front.

"The BJP is least qualified to talk about the moral right to govern," Singh said.

"Look at the holocaust that took place in Gujarat. It took place when (Leader of the Opposition) L K Advani was (Union) Home Minister...We all saw the massacre in Gujarat under the BJP," he added, questioning, "So they did not think of their moral right to govern on that occasion?"

The Prime Minister also criticised the BJP for the 2001 "Agra fiasco" when the much -hyped talks between the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf failed.

Not in a mood to spare the BJP, Singh said, "We all know why the war in Kargil took place."

"The infiltrators were coming in into our country and the Government in New Delhi was sleeping," he added.

He termed his visit to the African nation as 'fruitful' and said that all three countries- India South Africa and Brazil, reiterated their commitment for successful conclusion of the Doha Round.

On the issue of rising prices and inflation in the country, Singh linked it to the global trend of rising prices of oil and essential commodities.

He said that countries should cooperate with each other to prevent terrorist groups from investing in financial markets of countries.

Terming the money laundering as a global concern, Singh said, "Countries need to cooperate so that the undesirable elements, including terrorist groups do not take advantage of the financial systems of the countries."

In the wake of the Wednesday's volatile trading at the Mumbai Stock Exchange after SEBI announced its intentions of regulating Participatory Notes (PN), leading to a huge crash, Singh said that the Union Finance Minister along with the SEBI have already stated about the proposed steps.

ANI