Cong core committee to discuss nuke deal: Pranab

New Delhi, Aug 19 (UNI) External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said the Congress core committee would meet later in the day to discuss the political deadlock over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

After the core committee meeting, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi would talk to the leaders of UPA allies, Mr Mukherjee told reporters.

He said the Left leaders had been explained in detail about the government's position on the issue.

Holding negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for finalising India-specific safeguards for the nuclear facilities that would be subjected to the agency's inspections would be the next step of the government over the deal.

Once this was done, India would have to secure the approval of the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) for the purchase of uranium, he said.

This would be followed by the US administration seeking the approval of the American Congress. Only then would the 123 Agreement on the nuclear deal come into force, signalling India's cooperation with the US and the other NSG members in the field of civil nuclear cooperation, he explained.

During the day, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury called on Mr Mukherjee and other Congress leaders Ahmad Patel and A K Antony and discussed the stand-off over the nuclear deal.

While Dr Singh and Mr Mukherjee had maintained that the 123 agreement would not take away India's right to conduct a nuclear test, the Left had sought that the deal be put on hold and the BJP-led opposition rejected the government's contention and demanded renegotiation of the deal.

Both Dr Singh and the US administration had ruled out renegotiating the deal.

UNI