Nation at risk of N-terror if IAEA document made public: Cong

New Delhi, July 9 (UNI) Countering Left's demand, the Congress today said the IAEA draft document on the India-US nuclear deal could not be made public as it have would put the country to the risk of nuclear terrorism.

''In today's age of terrorism, putting in public domain information relating to nuclear facilities, as demanded by the Left parties, would open the country to the risk of nuclear terrorism,'' Congress spokesman Manish Tiwari told reporters.

He said the Left should have taken time to study why the Government was reluctant to share with it the draft safeguards document before making a ''reckless'' and an ''irresponsible'' charge.

It was, in fact, the Government's reluctance to show them the draft safeguards agreement with the IAEA that the Left parties cited as one of the reasons for withdrawing support to the Government.

The Congress spokesman said the document, between a sovereign government and the IAEA, inherently contained legal clauses of confidentiality that barred the UPA Government from sharing it with a third party.

This, he said, had been explained by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, convenor of the UPA-Left panel on the nuke deal, in his letter to the Left parties.

Mr Tiwari said the Government had shared the essence of the agreement with the Left.

He said the nuclear establishment, the security establishment and the scientists were taken onboard as far as the deal was concerned.

''It is completely erroneous to say that they wee not consulted,'' he added.

Reiterating the Government's stand, he said the nuclear deal was in national interest and would help in meeting the country's energy needs.

He said six nuclear reactors were under construction whose per unit cost of power would be much less that that of thernal or hydro power.

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