Before the crucial round of UPA-Left committee talks on the Indo-US nuclear deal scheduled for Wednesday, National Security Advisor M K Narayanan has said he was “still hopeful” of the pact being signed with Washington.Speaking to The Indian Express, Narayanan appeared optimistic even as the Left parties were still seeking assurances that the Manmohan Singh Government would not put the US deal on “auto-pilot” without their concurrence and without placing the text of the IAEA agreement on the table.The National Security Advisor said, “I am still hopeful. Though schedules have been much delayed, there is still a window for the nuclear deal to go through. All we want the Left parties to do is to allow us to sign the agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”He indicated that the final draft of the IAEA agreement was “almost” ready and the remaining points could be taken up by Indian negotiators and the IAEA when it next convenes in Vienna. He added, “The IAEA meets every two or three months. We have the agreement ready and the US Government is keen. That is why I am still hopeful.”
