Awaiting the Government’s response on a set of questions regarding the IAEA safeguard talks at Friday’s UPA-Left committee meeting on the nuclear deal, CPI (M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury indicated to party MPs on Thursday that the Left will allow the Government to go to the IAEA, but “there would be no change in its stand on the nuclear deal”.The Left will let the Government go to the IAEA, but it will have to submit a “primary report” to the UPA-Left committee. This flexible stand will be subject to the Government’s reply to the Left’s questions on the IAEA talks, Yechury told the MPs. However, he emphasised that there was “no change” in the CPI(M) stand on the nuclear deal, sources said. “Wait till tomorrow,” CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat told The Indian Express when asked if there was any change in his party’s stand that the deal should not be operationalised. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had a meeting with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi amid indications that the Government was keen to go ahead with the IAEA talks. He also held discussions with Cabinet colleagues Pranab Mukherjee, A K Antony and Shivraj Patil. The Left leaders said they would first “like to get a clear idea about the Government’s plan on IAEA safeguard talks”. Some of them even expect a “written assurance” from the Government that “initiating talks with the IAEA doesn’t mean operationalisation of the deal”. They claimed the Government was “not going ahead with the deal”, and these discussions were part of an “honourable exit”. The Left still has a set of questions regarding the IAEA safeguard talks. On the question of fuel supply assurance in the safeguard agreement, sources said the Government would reply that it will be reflected in the agreement. Sources said the Government’s stand was that the there would be a lifetime assurance of fuel for the reactors. Regarding the strategic programme, the sources said the Government would say the agreement would only cover the reactors placed under the safeguards. “We are not satisfied with the Prime Minister’s statement on issues such as full-nuclear cooperation and status of reactors under permanent safeguards. We would like to know how these questions will be addressed during the safeguard talks,” a senior Left leader involved in negotiations said.
