Left digs in its heels over talks with IAEA

An end to the continuing impasse on the nuclear issue still seemed elusive as the government on Monday signalled its determination to stick to the deal, while the Left insisted that a freeze on forthcoming negotiations on India-specific safeguards at the International Atomic Energy Agency be the benchmark for acceptance of the expert committee face-saver.

Written by Political Bureau

August 21, 2007 00:00 IST

An end to the continuing impasse on the nuclear issue still seemed elusive as the government on Monday signalled its determination to stick to the deal, while the Left insisted that a freeze on forthcoming negotiations on India-specific safeguards at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) be the benchmark for acceptance of the expert committee face-saver.

The government’s disinclination to go back on the deal came with the assertion that Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar would be going to Vienna next month to attend the IAEA general conference and discuss issues relating to India-specific safeguards agreement. A team from the ministry of external affairs ministry is already in Vienna to prepare for Kakodkar’s visit beginning on September 15.

At the same time, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh once again argued fervently for nuclear power to ensure energy security in the future at a public function here, even though he refrained from making any direct references to the deal. In an apparent message to the Left as well as opposition, he urged political parties to “appreciate the vital national interest of pursuing a sound energy security strategy”, in which nuclear energy played an important role.

Moreover, ruling coalition managers also initiated a damage-control exercise to dispel notions that the government is in danger. It fielded science and technology minister Kapil Sibal, who launched a spirited defence in favour of the deal, arguing that “misgivings” about it had arisen out of “misconcieved notions”.

Left parties, however, made it clear that they would not budge from their position, maintaining that the next steps at the IAEA should be put on hold and the setting up of a committee or any other mechanism to look into implications of the Hyde Act would only follow thereafter. Its leaders, though, are shying away from making open threats of withdrawal for now. Senior leaders like the CPM?s Jyoti Basu reiterated in Kolkata that there was “no question of midterm polls”.

All eyes are now on the next meeting of the CPM’s central committee, which meets on August 22-23.

This article was first uploaded on August twenty-one, twenty seven, at zero minutes past twelve in the am.