UPA-Left Meet: ‘There was no progress, no change’

But they agreed to resume negotiations on Oct. 9.

“There was no progress, no change,” Debabrata Biswas, head of the Forward Bloc, a minor constituent of the four-party Communist alliance, said.

The two sides exchanged technical notes about the deal and its political implications were expected to be discussed next week, he said.

Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the panel, read a brief statement which said the meeting carried forward earlier discussions based on inputs provided by both sides.

The civilian nuclear cooperation deal is seen as a major milestone in the new strategic partnership between India and the United States, not the best of friends during the Cold War.

If and when approved, it will allow India to import US nuclear fuel and reactors, despite having tested nuclear weapons and not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

But Left parties have opposed the deal, saying it undermines India’s independent foreign policy and draws New Delhi into a strategic alliance with Washington.

Previous meetings of the panel, formed in August when the crisis erupted, had also produced little to achieve a breakthrough and few were betting on Friday’s talks to help break the deadlock.

Negotiations this month are considered crucial as India faces an informal end-October deadline to start work on securing the remaining approvals to clinch the deal before Washington gets preoccupied with Presidential elections next year.

The government and the ruling Congress party have remained steadfast on pushing the deal, and failure to make progress soon could indicate the end of the road for their relationship with the Left parties, analysts say.

While the Congress has put a brave face on the deal, it has also started preparing for early elections, shuffling party leaders and announcing a slew of populist welfare measures to woo poor voters.