Tehran, July 28 : India is to lobby for the US-India civil nuclear deal at the Ministerial meeting of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Tehran.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrives here a shortwhile ago to attend that meeting which from New Delhi’s point of view is being seen as the final countdown for the voting on India specific safeguards agreement at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which is set to take place early next month.

New Delhi, July 25 : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told a private news channel that he has no bitterness against the Left parties and that he was sad for the turn of the event in which the Left parties parted ways with the United Progressive Alliance.

When asked whether there was any possibility of Congress party allying with the Left, Mukherjee said: “How can I say right now. Let us wait, how circumstances will unfold. Let us not predict and be political astrologers. I do not keep options open and do not keep options closed."

New Delhi, July 24: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said that India would push for a convention on mutual legal assistance among the SAARC nations over criminal matters.

Speaking at a regional conference on ''Deepening South Asian Economic Integration'' here, Pranab said that in the backdrop of the recent Kabul attack on the Indian embassy, it has become necessary to tackle crimes with regional cooperation.

New Delhi, July 23 : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said that next step on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal will be taken after IAEA Board of Governors approves of the India-specific safeguards agreement.

“There is no question of fast-tracking or slow-tracking (the nuclear deal). It is a process which is on,” Mukherjee told reporters here.

“I understand that the IAEA Board (of Governors) is meeting on August one,” he added.

The IAEA Board is meeting to consider approval of the India-specific safeguards agreement, which has been handed over to it recently.

New Delhi, July 21: Foreign Minister and Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee stated here today that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government had the support of 276 MPs.

Mukherjee asserted that it would prove its majority in the confidence vote being held on July 22 over the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

He urged the Opposition and the Left to base their case on facts and not to distort facts on the nuclear deal.

"Advani is twisting the facts," he said.

Mukherjee accused the Left of destabilizing the Government and said, “Left withdrew and the Samajwadi Party stepped in. With the support of the SP''s 39 MPs, we are now
276."

Lucknow, July 18 : All India Congress Committee General Secretary and the in-charge of the party''s Uttar Pradesh affairs, Digvijay Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today separately refuted allegations of horse-trading of MPs made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of Tuesday’s vote of confidence in Parliament.

Digvijay Singh told reporters after attending a party function in Lucknow that the Congress has never compromised on issues concerned with national interest for any political gain.