Nuke Deal: UPA, Left May Meet Again in April

Business Standard
Mar 18, 2008

A terse note that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the Left parties would meet again, possibly in April-end, to discuss the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement was the only reaction to come out of the much-awaited meeting of the two sides today. The meeting concluded in less than an hour after it started. According to Left sources, the government showed no sign of hurry, unlike the earlier meetings. When CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said the Left would need at least a month to study the agreement, the UPA members agreed to give as much time as needed. The draft text of the India-specific safeguards as agreed upon by India and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was not shown to the Left parties. Instead, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Science Minister Kapil Sibal briefed the meeting about the clauses pertaining to the Left’s concerns. While Mukherjee gave a broad vision of the draft agreement, Sibal and Chidambaram spoke on its technical and legal points.