Crucial meeting of UPA-Left Committee on nuke issue today

UPA-Left committeeNew Delhi, Nov 16: The special committee comprising of senior UPA and Left Front leaders are meeting for the sixth time in the national capital today.

There is a strong possibility that after the meeting, the committee would announce its decision to give the Government a go ahead for initiating talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for India-specific safeguards agreement.

On Thursday, the UPA Government hinted at beginning the talks with the international agency after the Left parties expressed softening of their stand.

The Left Front leaders, who have been opposing any negotiations with the IAEA as they believed that it would construe to operationalisation of the deal, agreed to allow the government to initiate the talks with the international body, but at the same time they said that no agreement would be signed without their approval.

CPI (M) General Secretary, Prakash Karat on Thursday said that the proposed nuclear deal is not in the interest of the nation and there should be a debate on it in Parliament.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said that the Lok Sabha would have the much-delayed discussion on the Indo-US nuclear deal on November 27.

The government has also proposed discussion in the Rajya Sabha the next day, he said.

On Wednesday night, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met BJP leader A B Vajpayee apparently to seek the opposition's support for the deal.

The special UPA-Left committee convened by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was formed to resolve disagreements between the two sides over the nuclear deal.

The nuke-deal faces an informal US deadline related to securing approval of America's Congress well before the next year presidential polls.

Three more steps are required to operationalise the deal that include, safeguard agreement with the IAEA, amendment in the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group's charter and the passing of the 123-agreement by the US Congress. (ANI)

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