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N-deal lives, Pranab says agreement with IAEA ready
Published on Fri, Mar 21, 2008 at 19:12, Updated at Sat, Mar 22, 2008 in Nation section
Tags: Nuclear Deal, Pranab Mukherjee , New Delhi
OVER TO YOU, COMRADES: Pranab Mukherjee says he is trying to convince the Left.
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Break from N-deal politics, Pranab visits Australia
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New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, on the eve of his visit to Washington, has indicated that the text of a India-specific safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been finalized but can only be “initialled” after the political process has been completed.
"Some text has been reached, which only needs to be initialled, and that waits for the political process," he told CNN-IBN in an exclusive interview before leaving for Washington where he will meet US Secretary of state Condoleeza Rice.
In direct contrast to the Left Front’s contention that the nuclear deal would be “operationalised” when the IAEA safeguard agreement is signed, Mukherjee said “the deal will be operationalised only after the IAEA, the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) and the US Congress give their approval and the Indian government then signs the agreement”
Mukherjee said the government was pressing ahead with its efforts on the nuclear deal. “We would like the deal to materialise. I am in the process of the dialogue (with the Left) and I don’t know what will be the outcome.”
Mukherjee denied there were differences between him and the Prime Minister on the nuclear deal and said: “We echoed the same voice (in Parliament). He said we are trying. I said we are trying. That's all.”
Mukherjee’s visit to Washington, his first bilateral visit, comes nine months after Indian and US officials agreed on the 123 Agreement. Since then, he has been at the helm of the UPA-Left coordination committee that met again earlier this week.
When asked if he was disappointed the process had taken so long without an agreement, Mukherjee said. “They are our supporters—and have stated their opposition—we are trying to convince them. If we can do it we'll do it if we can't do it, we can't. The Prime Minister said if the deal doesn’t happen it is not the end of life. Don't forget that.”
Mukherjee also fielded questions on US House of representative Nancy Pelosi’s controversial visit where she spoke of “Chinese oppression” on Tibet, the external affairs minister said that Pelosi was well within her right to express her “views”. "They have expressed their views. They are not putting pressure
On the Sarabjit Singh issue Pranab Mukherjee said that India would not agree to exchanging any prisoners for the Indian national on Pakistani death row."But we are grateful that the Pakistan government has agreed to our request and put off the date of hanging to April 30th."
He said India had pleaded on humanitarian grounds for Sarabjit’s release, as it had done in the past with other prisoners.
He also said that the government had had no contact with President Musharraf since the February 18th elections, adding: “I do hope that the initiatives that have been taken so far and the way the composite dialogue has been going will be continued by the new government (in Pakistan).”
Mukherjee flies to Washington for a two-day trip beginning Sunday.
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