No deviation in Indo-US nuke deal, says Cong

New Delhi, Dec 20 (UNI) The Congress today expressed the "belief" that the 123 Agreement to be negotiated with the US on the nuclear cooperation deal would be in keeping with the July 18 agreement signed between US President George W Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and with the assurances given by the latter in Parliament.

"There will be no deviation or compromise from the July statement," Congress Spokesman Jayanti Natrajan said briefing media persons here.

The Congress, she said, welcomed the initiative taken by the Prime Minster towards ending several years of nuclear isolation and enabling India to stand as equal partner in the world without compromising national policy or the national interest. "We welcome the initiative taken by the Prime Minister. We have gone one step further," she said.

Ms Natrajan condemned what she said was double speak by the BJP as regards Indo-US nuclear deal recalling that the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had virtually agreed to sign the CTBT in the US.

Former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh too had repeated the remark made by Mr Vajpayee.

The BJP, she said, had alleged on the floor of Parliament that the initiative taken by the Prime Minister constituted a compromise with India's foreign policy and called upon the BJP to desist from misleading the people on an important issue.

UNI YS RP VV1835