N-deal: Mulford meets Yashwant Sinha

New Delhi, Nov 5: In an effort to understand the concerns and explain his country's position on the Indo-US nuclear deal, US Ambassador David C Mulford today met senior BJP leader and former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha today.

Mr Mulford said very little about the meeting except that the meeting was regarding the civil nuclear deal where he explained his country's position with Mr Sinha, a key person in the BJP.

Mr Sinha on his part said he totally agreed with the US Ambassador that the meeting was to exchange the views.

Later answering questions of newspersons, Mr Sinha said there was no confusion in the BJP on the issue. The party's decision to seek the Government to renegotiate the Indo-US nuclear deal was done after due process of deliberation and just because the party was listening to the views of the US did not mean that there was confusion in the BJP. "It is the media which is divided into camps.

It is they who are trying to create confusion. We are not at all confused. We have conveyed our stand they have conveyed theirs," he said.

Sources said that the issue may figure in the core committee of the BJP. Mr Mulford has met Leader of the Opposition L K Advani and former National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra so far to convey his country's view points on the issue so far.

Asked if the BJP would allow discussion in Parliament, Mr Sinha said the the decision would be made by the Parliamentary Party.

The BJP has maintained that it was not against the deal with the US but the deal in its present form was unacceptable as it undermined the national seucurity and India's nuclear doctrine of maintaining minimum credible nuclear deterrance.

UNI