UPA-Left decide to constitute panel on nuclear deal

New Delhi, Aug 30 (UNI) Yielding to the Left's pressure, the Congress-led UPA Government today put on hold operationalisation of the Indo-US Nuclear deal until a "committee," which will go into the 123 agreement and its implications on the Hyde Act, submits its report.

The decision to constitute the committee, whose composition is likely to be announced shortly, has literally blown over the fortnight-long crisis over the nuke deal that threatened the survival of the 38-month-old Manmohan Singh government.

After a 45-minute-long meeting of Left and UPA leaders at the official 7 Race Course residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, a crucial negotiator with the Left, said "the operationalisation of the deal will take into account the committee's findings." The UPA-Left meeting was attended by Dr Singh, Left and UPA leaders and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi who indicated a ''thumbs up ''to the waiting mediapersons while leaving the meeting venue in her car.

Mr Mukherjee said the decision to constitute the committee was taken in view of certain objections raised by the Left parties on the Indo-US bilateral agreement.

Mr Mukherjee, accompanied by CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury, said the committee would look to certain aspects of the bilateral agreement with the US, the implications of the US' Hyde Act on the 123 Agreement and self reliance in the nuclear sector, implications of the nuclear agreement on India's foreign policy and security cooperation.

He did not answer the question if the government would go ahead with India-specific negotiations at the September 14 Vienna meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency to get nuclear fuel assistance from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

He also evaded a question if any time frame has been prescribed to the committee to submit its findings.

A prominent Left leader told UNI that the panel would comprise six members from the Left parties, and said UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was yet to decide the names of the UPA nominees. The Left leaders to be on the panel are : Mr Prakash Karat and Mr Sitaram Yechury (both CPI-M), Mr A B Bardhan and Mr D Raja (both CPI), Mr Debabrata Biswas (Forward Bloc) and Abani Roy (RSP).

Asked if the crisis was over, the Left leader asked "where was the crisis?" He said there were, of course, differences between the Left and the UPA, but efforts were being made to resolve them.

He said it was a climbdown for the government which had been repeatedly saying that the deal was not renegotiable.

UNI