New Delhi, Jan 13: Amid hopes of conclusion of talks with IAEA next week, the government has said it would not "like to" proceed with the Indo-US nuclear deal if the Left withdraws
support. He however, noted that pullout of the agreement will have "some adverse impact" on India`s standing in the world.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee rejected suggestions that the UPA government`s capacity to operationalise the deal has weakened after the Congress` debacle in Gujarat and Himachal assembly elections.
He made it clear that the government will not have the capacity to proceed with the deal if it plunges into a minority.
"We would not like to proceed with the deal if the Left parties withdraw support from the government," he told in a television programme on CNBC.
He, however, emphasised that if India pulls out of
the deal, it will have "some adverse impact" on the country`s standing at the international level.
Mukherjee dubbed as "absolutely hypothetical" when asked
what the government would do if a satisfactory bargain was
achieved at the IAEA talks but Left still maintained its
opposition.
"... Before we went to the IAEA, their (Left) position
was that don`t proceed further (on the deal). From that
position we have improved something," he said.
Asked whether it meant that the government will be able
to "push" the Left, he replied, "it is not a question of
pushing. It is a question of accepting the ground reality as
and when it unfolds. Let us wait and see."
India hopes to conclude the negotiations on safeguards
agreement with IAEA during the talks next week after which the
draft will be discussed by the UPA-Left committee.
Bureau Report
