US hopes India will resolve nuclear deal issue

{image-nuke deal_26062008.jpg news.oneindia.in}New Delhi, Jun 26: With the UPA Government and the Left still stalemated over the Indo-US nuclear deal issue, senior US Congressman Gary Ackerman is hopeful about the issue being resolved.

Ackerman, who is visiting New Delhi in July, said, "I strongly support the 123 agreement and I look forward to the Government of India completing its internal processes so that the US Congress can give final approval to this historic deal." He said: "There was much more to the July 2005 joint statement between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President George W Bush than civil nuclear cooperation and there is much more to the US-India relations than just the 123 agreement." "In fact the 2005 statement covered a broad range of issues among which civil nuclear cooperation was just one," Ackerman said at a hearing titled 'More Than Just the 123 Agreement: The Future of US-Indo Relations' in Washington. He is expected to exchange views with the leadership in New Delhi on the Indo-US nuclear deal and other issues of mutual interest during his visit.

Wednesday's( June 25) UPA-Left Coordination Committee was indecisive, and it was agreed that the final decision would be taken after the next meeting.

The Left parties have termed the compromise formula to finalise the safeguards agreement at the IAEA as meaningless.

Communist Party of India General Secretary A. B. Bardhan had on June 25 said before the meeting that if the Government operationalises the deal, we will not give them any green signal for going ahead. Left leaders, who are unrelenting in their opposition to the agreement, were of the view that India will have no say when it seeks a waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which is dominated by the US.

General Secretary of Forward Bloc and Parliamentarian Devbrat Biswa on Tuesday said they were looking forward to the Central Government's opinion on the deal.

"Till now, there has been no middle path regarding the 123 agreement with America. We are firm on the principles of our Left parties. This government cannot move forward with our support. We will see that what option does government gives us. But, we are still stiff to our principles," said Biswas.

As a part of implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal, India had concluded negotiations with IAEA on what the Safeguards Agreement would contain in February, but it could not be signed because of stiff opposition from the Left.

The Left has been opposing the deal on the grounds that the conditions laid down by the Hyde Act, a domestic US legislation, would impinge on India pursuing an independent foreign policy and make it "subservient" to US strategic interests worldwide.

The Left has objected to the 123 Agreement between the India and the US on civilian nuclear cooperation on the grounds that the Hyde Act binds it.

ANI