Kay Benedict

New Delhi: Indicating that they would not allow the UPA government to execute the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal in George W Bush’s regime, the Left parties rejected on Tuesday yet another plea of the Centre to allow it to sign the India-specific safeguard agreement with the IAEA. The 15-member UPA-Left nuclear committee met here for the eighth time to iron out differences over signing the deal.

Pranab Mukherjee, external affairs minister and convener of the committee, made a forceful plea before the comrades to allow the government to go ahead with the pact with the IAEA, failing which, he said, India may not only face opposition from Iran and NAM countries, who are calling for a “complete prohibition” of nuclear cooperation with countries that have not signed the NPT, but also Indian reactors will be starved of fuel supply.

Mukherjee also told the panel that once the pact with the IAEA was inked, India could negotiate with countries such as Brazil, Russia and France.

“The agreement is a must to meet India’s fuel needs. We are not a member of the NPT. We are not a non-nuclear state, our position is unique, we must get an opening so that we can sign pacts with other countries. Our reactors are in a critical state, we badly need fuel,” the Union minister said, drawing the attention of the Left to reports in a section of the press of Iran and NAM countries’ plans to block the transfer of any nuclear material, equipment, technology to non-NPT parties.

The Left leaders said they needed time to study the specifics and agreed to meet again on May 28.

Sources said the Left leaders would meet here on May 23 to take a final call on whether or not to allow the government to sign the agreement with the nuclear watchdog comprising 134 countries.

The Left leaders asked the government to furnish the full text of the IAEA draft, but Mukherjee excused himself saying it would amount to breach of confidentiality. He told the comrades in jest that to see the document they should join the government and become ministers.

Allaying Left fears that once the IAEA ratified the pact, the Americans would take over and push the deal at the 45-member NSG,Mukherjee told them that the government would not take any further steps without Left nod. Once the IAEA gate pass is obtained, the NSG countries cannot raise objections.

“They cannot support at the IAEA and oppose in NSG,” Mukherjee said.

The Left leaders did not buy his argument.

Mukherjee told the comrades that July was the cut-off date and beyond that the 123 deal was virtually dead.

Source : DNA