Left softens, may allow Govt-IAEA N-talks

SIGNS OF SOFTENING: AB Bardhan says Left may allow govt to approach IAEA on the nuke deal.

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Keywords: Prime Minister, UPA

New Delhi: The Left has finally indicated its willingness to allow the Centre some legroom so that the Manmohan Singh government can discuss the India-specific safeguards agreement with the international atomic watchdog IAEA for operationalising the Indo-US nuclear deal.

CPI General Secretary AB Bardhan said the UPA-Left Committee, constituted to go into the various clauses of the deal, may consider such a proposition.

This is the first time even since the rift within UPA over the N-deal that the Left has given an indication of softening its stand.

"It is not a question of my considering it. I am again repeating it, it's a question of being said in the committee which has been set up and the committee coming to this finding that 'yes it can be allowed provided they come back before initialing it'. Before sending it to the (IAEA) Board of Governors, they (Government) should come and at that time also we may say that no no, nothing doing, they must stop," the CPI leader said.

The Prime Minister, meanwhile, is still hopeful of evolving a broad-based consensus with his Left allies.

Dr Singh, currently on a visit to Russia, said in Moscow on Monday that the Indo-US nuclear deal is a subject matter of discussion among the coalition partners and the process of evolving a broad-based consensus within the coalition is still on.

He was speaking at a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin after their talks on various issues, including cooperation in nuclear field.

The UPA-Left committee has already held five rounds of discussions on the issue. The next round of talks, scheduled for November 16, has however, been postponed indefinitely.