Left firm, PM hopeful on nuclear deal
The latest upa-Left meeting on India-us nuclear deal on October 22 did not head anywhere. The deal continues to remain in limbo: being either termed "dead' or in "deep freeze'. Both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the upa chairperson Sonia Gandhi say that the pact is virtually off. But the Left parties want the government to make a formal announcement about cancellation of the deal, and said that they will continue to protest till then.
Singh, however, remains "hopeful' that the matter will be resolved. According to reports, he said that there was time until November 16, when the Left-upa panel meets again. us Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Nicholas Burns, on October 22, said India must take a decision on the deal "soon'. Burns said that he was hopeful of India taking a "positive' decision and that would mean India signing a safeguard agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor its civil nuclear plants. The Left, however, does not appear to budge.