Saturday, January 28 2006 13:32 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Making their stand clear, Left parties today (Jan 28,2006) demanded the Government abstain from voting if consensus eludes next week's crucial International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting on Iran's controversial nuclear programme.

"Our considered opinion continues to be that in consonance with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government's commitment to the pursuit of an independent foreign policy, if a consensus is lacking on the issue at the IAEA meeting, India should abstain," they said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The parties, which provide key outside support to the Government, said a "principled Indian position" that calls for talks within the ambit of IAEA for resolving Iran's nuclear issue will help in averting a spurt in tension in the region, where millions of Indian nationals live and work.

"A principled Indian position that upholds the need to seek a resolution of the Iran nuclear issue through negotiations within the framework of the IAEA will contribute towards averting an escalation of tensions in an already volatile region," Communist Party of India (CPI) Marxist (M), Communist Party of India (CPI), Forward Bloc and Republican Socialist Party (RSP) said in the letter.

Asserting that a consensus is lacking on the issue, theysaid there was 'profound disquiet' among the international community, especially Russia, China and the Non-aligned nations, that the US instead of supporting efforts to explore various avenues to resolve the matter is precipitating a United Nations Security Council referral.