Indo-US nuke deal to be dominated by 2 issues

New Delhi, Aug 30: The UPA-Left Coordination Committee Meeting is likely to be dominated by two contentious issues -- the size of the ''political mechanism'' and by the government public announcment that it would not operationalise the Indo-US nuclear deal until the panel gives its report.

However, Left leaders are hopeful of positive outcome of the crucial meet to be attended by Congress chief and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, government interlocutor Pranab Mukherjee among others, and Left leaders -- Prakash Karat, A B Bardhan and Sitaram Yechury.

The UPA-Left meet is preceded by a series of meetings between the government and the Left, the Congress Core Committee and the left parties themselves during the last three weeks.

Mr Mukherjee and CPI(M) stalwart and Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury have done enough ground work to defuse the three-week-long crisis triggered by the Prime Minister's remark on withdrawl of support by the Left, if it be, as the Indo-US deal was ''non-negotiable''. While the Left parties want a 12 member panel -- six from the UPA and six from the CPI(M), CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP, the Congress favours an eight member ''Political panel'' comprising of three members of the Congress, three of the Left, one each from Nationalist Congress Party and RJD, sources told UNI