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Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Nuclear deal suspense grows, Prime Minister in United States

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Indian officials accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his visit to the United States are nervous about the outcome of US Congressional vote on the agreement.

“We have to see in what form the Congress accepts the agreement,” a prime ministerial aide said.

On Tuesday, the US Congress’s business committee is likely to finalise a schedule for voting on the 123 agreement and other possible resolutions that could be riders to the agreement.

Some of these resolutions could throw up prescriptions politically unpalatable in India, particularly on the country’s right to conduct a nuclear test in future.

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Friday, August 1, 2008

Good News

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After 34 years of nuclear isolation, India on Friday will be within striking distance of dissolving the sanctions the world imposed on New Delhi against buying nuclear reactors and fuel from abroad.

A first transformational step will be taken at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. The atomic watchdog will debate and clear an inspection arrangement for the nuclear plants that India says are for civilian purposes and important to Indian efforts of bridging the annual electricity shortfall of 14,000 mega watts, enough to power three cities the size of Delhi.

A diplomatic effort similar in scale to the one launched during the 1999 Kargil war has been mounted by India, as envoys criss Cross the world in support of the civil nuclear deal.

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Saturday, July 5, 2008

Samajwadi Party says yes in 'national interest'

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He congress can breathe easy The Samajwadi Party's public endorsement on Friday of the India US civil nuclear deal as one "in national interest" enables the Manmohan Singh government to go to the IAEA with an easy mind and with the claim that it continues to enjoy the majority in the Lok Sabha.

While welcoming the latest convert to the deal on board, the Congress also got ready to bid farewell to the Left parties which had been extending outside support. The communists on Friday wrote to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the UPA-Left panel on the deal, to inform them by July 7 whether the government would approach the IAEA. The letter and the deadline raised the hackles of Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi who said, "Sovereign governments or political parties cannot be subjected to deadlines."

The government's response - when it comes would set the stage for the formal parting of ways between the partners who have had a uneasy relationship for over four years.

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Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Sonia takes centrestage

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Consensus building within the UPA on the India-US nuclear deal in defiance of the Left and at the risk of early elections is proving to be difficult even with Sonia Gandhi taking centrestage to resolve the vexed issue.

The UPA leaders who drove down to 10 Janpath on Monday included NCP's Sharad Pawar, RJD's Lalu Yaday and LJP's Ram Vilas Paswan. Pawar was later closeted at his residence with CPM general secretary Prakash Karat for over an hour.

Coupled with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's vigorous defence of the deal, the outcome of Sonia's meetings with the UPA allies made doubly difficult her task of blending national interest with the political interests of the coalition she presides over.

In separate interactions with Sonia, the allies backed the deal but advocated a dialogue with the Left to avoid early elections. Weighing heavily on their minds were the rising prices, without controlling which they saw little prospects in the polls.

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Thursday, June 19, 2008

Red flag up, but UPA may push ahead

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In the face of the Left's unrelenting opposition to the India-US nuclear deal, the Congress, in a major shift of stance, is seriously evaluating the political fallout of sewing up the India-specific safeguards agreement with the IAEA without their consent.

The postponement of the schedu1ed UPA-Left meeting on the issue on Wednesday saw hectic consultations in both camps. After being closeted with Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and Union Minister Kapil Sibal, a member of the panel for nuclear talks, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee conferred with Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Others present at the meeting were Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Sonia's political secretary Ahmed Patel.

Congress sources confirmed to Hindustan Times the possibility of the government signing the agreement despite the Communists' rigid opposition. But the final call would be taken after the UPA-Left committee meeting now slated on June 25.

The urgency in the government's moves was explained to the tight deadlines for completing the next three stages in the deal: the IAEA safeguards pact, the NSG waiver and the up and down vote in the US Congress on the 123 agreement. There was some relief, however, after the US State Department's public assurance that Washington would push for the deal till January 20, the day the new President would take oath in that country.

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