UPA-Left committee to discuss N-deal today

PM TALK: On Monday Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said his government is ready to discuss any matter that the supporting allies wish to raise.

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New Delhi: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the Left Parties will meet on Tuesday to discuss the Congress-led Government's negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) pertaining to Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

On Monday Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said his government is ready to discuss any matter that the supporting allies wish to raise.

"We will discuss whatever issue that our colleagues will like to raise," Singh told reporters at Rashtrapati Bhavan after a Civil Investiture Ceremony.

The UPA-Left committee, set up to resolve differences over the Indo-US nuclear deal, will discuss whether or not the government should sign the Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA, negotiations for which have already been completed.

The ruling coalition has briefed the Left leadership on some major issues relating to the safeguards agreement, which were discussed at the IAEA.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury said that the Left parties have reverted back to the Government with their opinions and objections

"At this stage, we don't formally know whether any text of a safeguards agreement has been finalised. If yes, then we would want to know whether there is anything in the content of this text which can resolve our concerns," he added.

After the last round of UPA-Left meeting on March 17, the Left parties and the government have been exchanging notes on issues related to several political and technical matters like uninterrupted fuel supplies, sources said.

Left sources said the government had sent some information on the nuclear issue and they have reiterated their objections to operationalise the deal.

The Left has been opposing the deal on the grounds that conditions laid down by the Hyde Act would impinge on India pursuing an independent foreign policy and make it "subservient" to US strategic interests worldwide.