Monday, September 26 2005 18:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: In a damage control exercise after being attacked by the left allies and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Government today (Sept 26, 2005) asserted that it supported the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolution on Iran's controversial nuclear programme to avert 'a major confrontation' between Tehran and the international community and not under US pressure.

Making it clear that India has no reservation about Iran's right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the Government also said that its decision would have no impact on bilateral energy cooperation.

India's decision to vote in favor of the resolution was based on 'a very careful assessments of the pros and cons and in pursuit of a policy of avoiding confrontation and having enough time available to us to work out an acceptable compromise,' Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said at a press conference here convened at a short notice on his return from the US.

Denying that India acted under US pressure, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said separately that the Government's stand gave more time for diplomacy and a peaceful resolution of the issue.

In an apparent reference to the Left and BJP's charge that the Government has backtracked on its stand on Iran and 'surrendered' to US pressure, Saran said by working with theEU-3 (Britain, Germany and France) 'we have been able to head off a major point of confrontation between Iran and the International community.'

The Foreign Secretary emphasised that if there was a confrontation, it would have affected India's interests.