Signalling an end to the standoff between the Left and the government over the Indo-US nuclear deal, the political mechanism, which has been discussing the various aspects of the Indo-US civilian nuclear co-operation agreement, on Friday decided in favour of proceeding with the IAEA safeguards agreement negotiations. However, the Left-UPA panel will examine the results of the negotiations, before the government can initialise it.
?The committee has discussed the implications of the Hyde Act on the 123 agreement, on foreign policy and security matters. After further discussion it was decided that the impact of the provisions of the Hyde Act and the 123 agreement on the IAEA safeguards agreement be examined,? external affairs minister and head of the Left-UPA panel on the nuclear deal Pranab Mukherjee said after the sixth meeting of the committee.
?This will require talks with the IAEA secretariat for working out the text of the India-specific safeguards agreement. The government will proceed with the talks and the outcome will be presented to the committee for its consideration before it finalises its findings,? Mukherjee said.
The clearance from the Left to allow the government to proceed with the IAEA negotiations, an important step for the operationalisation of the deal, is seem to be a result of the persuasive negotiation from the government side and assurance given by the Congress top leadership that the deal will not be put into operation unless it gets the Left?s clearance. Technically also, to address some of the Left?s concerns like the fuel supply assurance and putting reactors in-perpetuity the government required to initiate the talks with IAEA. The Left also took positive of the fact that the government did not initiate any steps to operationalise the deal in the last three months.
Left leaders, however, tried to make it clear that they have not climbed down from their position. ?We have come to an understanding that the government can go to the IAEA secretariat. But the outcome of the talks should be brought to the committee before moving to the IAEA board of governors,? CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters here after the meeting.
Meanwhile, dubbing the Left parties? decision as a climb down, main Opposition BJP said, in the backdrop of Nandigram violence, they had no option but to succumb to the Congress pressure. ?It proved that Left parties fear BJP and a paranoid Left, with Nandigram in its backyard, had no option but strike a compromise with the government on the issue. This has also vindicated our criticism that Left?s opposition to the deal was not based on any principle,? party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
