National Security Adviser meeting SP leaders today

New Delhi, Jul 2 (UNI) As the deadline for the Left to implement its threat to withdraw support to the UPA Government draws closer, National Security Adviser M K Narayanan is meeting Samajwadi Party leaders today to brief them about the technicalities of the Indo-US Nuclear Deal.

The meeting is significant in view of the fact that the Samajwadi party had of late been maintaining that it was ready to have a rethink on its opposition to the deal if some new facts were brought up to assure it that the deal would not harm the country.

The 39 MPs of the SP could keep the UPA Government afloat in case the Left withdrew their support to the Government, which was imminent now.

The meeting will take place at around 1700 hrs, SP sources said adding that the venue was yet to be decided.

Though SP has postphoned its final decision on the support to the Congress till tomorrow's meeting of the UNPA, of which it is the main constituent, it was more than clear that the party had almost finalised its views on the issue.

According to sources, the SP might even not restate its view on the deal, but still help the Manmohan Singh Government to survive.

Earlier on Monday, SP general secretray Amar Singh met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

The Congress wants to be sure of the SP support for the Nuclear deal before the Prime Minister leaves for Japan to attend the G-8 summit, where he would meet US President George Bush, and it is understood that he would like to take a final decision on the issue before that.

He has set a deadline of July 15 to finalise an India-specific Nuclear Safeguards Treaty with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

UNI NAZ RSA HT1250