Dialogue process on but Left's stand remains unchanged

New Delhi, Aug 14 (UNI) Refusing to budge from their stand that the government should not proceed with operationalising the Indo-US nuclear deal, the Left parties today asserted that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement sought to address their old concerns and not the ones after the 123 agreement was finalised.

While the CPI(M) Polit Bureau came out with a two-page statement focussing on five concerns, the CPI made it clear that the standoff still existed.

Talking to UNI after the CPI(M) issued a statement, CPI Genenral Secretary A B Bardhan said there was no reason for the Left Parties to change their position even after the Prime Minister's suo motu statement in Parliament.

''There is no reason for us to change our position,'' Mr Bardhan said, adding, ''the logjam remains as our concerns in the backdrop of the Hyde Act governing the agreement still looms large.'' Meanwhile, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, who was invited by Dr Singh to a breakfast meeting this morning which was also attended by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, is believed to have told Dr Singh that his suo motu statement had addressed only the nine old points raised by the Left in the light of the Hyde Act.

Mr Bardhan said the 123 agreement had changed the scenario altogether as now the government's first priority was to seek safeguards from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

''This is very much written in the Agreement necessitating the country's nuclear programme under the scanner of these two international agencies to which we are vehemently opposed,'' he added.

He said this was why the Left parties had asked the Manmohan Singh government not to proceed with the deal.

The CPI leader said his party would also hold the extended meeting of its Central Secretariat here on August 17 and 18 when the CPI(M) also meets to review the situation over the nuke deal.

Sticking to its stand that the government should refrain from proceeding with operationalising the 123 agreement, the CPI(M) contended that the Prime Minister's statement in Parliament did not address the Left concerns on at least five counts.

''The Prime Minister's statement in Parliament ... picking up from para two, line one of DI 22 ''POLITICS-CPI(M)-NUCLEAR FUEL''.

UNI