New Delhi, August 30
The prolonged face-off between the UPA government and the Left parties over the nuclear deal ended today after the two sides pulled back from the brink and called for a truce.

The Centre agreed to set up a special committee to address the concerns raised by the Communists and though it did not spell it out, the government indicated an informal go-slow on the operationalisation of the deal to take into account the committee’s findings.

The consensus was hammered out today after days of deliberations between the two sides and the final decision was announced after a meeting between the UPA and the Left leaders at the Prime Minister’s residence this evening.

A statement issued after the meeting, read out by UPA’s main crisis manager, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, said it had been decided to constitute a committee in view of the objections raised by the Left.

Regarding the government’s next steps on the deal, the statement was open-ended with each side interpreting it to suit their respective public positions. According to the statement, “The operationalisation of the deal will take into account the committee’s findings.” The Left leaders, who had demanded that the government make a public declaration about putting the deal on hold, said the UPA leadership had assured them that the agreement would not be operationalised till their concerns were addressed.

The government, on its part, said the statement had not specifically said it was not going ahead with the next steps on the deal. Informal discussions with the IAEA on safeguards would continue, though a formal agreement would have to wait. The government had already said it was going ahead with any formal talks with the IAEA at its next month’s meeting.

The panel, comprising representatives from the UPA and the Left, has been mandated to look into certain aspects of the bilateral agreement, the statement said. These included the implication of the Hyde Act on the 123 agreement, self-reliance in the nuclear sector, the implication of nuclear agreement on foreign policy and security cooperation.

The Left parties had raised objections to the deal on the plea that the Hyde Act would compromise India’s security concerns. Stating that the deal was tantamount to a strategic alliance with the US, the Communists have said this marks a clear paradigm shift in India’s foreign policy.

In this connection, the Left parties have taken exception to the upcoming naval exercises with the US, Japan and Australia. All these concerns are to be examined by the committee.

New Delhi, August 30
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani today demanded the renegotiation of the 123 agreement after changing domestic laws and denied his demand was a shift from his party's original stand that the deal was unacceptable because of the Hyde Act.

Addressing the BJP parliamentary party's meeting, Advani said a suggestion had been made recently that as the US domestic laws were the ones causing the problem, “we should examine whether we can alter our laws, such as the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, in a way as to insulate our strategic objectives”.

“If that can be done, we should strengthen our laws, and on the basis of those altered laws, renegotiate the agreement,” he told BJP MPs.

He, however, insisted that his recent comments on the issue were aimed at clarifying how the BJP's opposition to the accord stemmed from pure national interest and not from any kind of anti-Americanism.

“Each of the (BJP) statements has been fully deliberated upon and approved by the seniormost leaders of the party under the guidance and presence of Atal Bihari Vajpayee,” he said.

He was referring to the statements of party leaders Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie, who have been criticising the Hyde Act because they felt it aimed at limiting India's nuclear options.

The statements embody the party's considered view on every aspect of the deal. There was no change in that position, Advani stressed in a written statement circulated to newspersons.

The 123 agreement, Advani added, was the first step toward operationalising the Hyde Act and other US laws. The agreement, he pointed out, specifically provided that American laws would prevail after the implementation of the deal.

Hence, the provisions of the Hyde Act and other relevant laws shall apply with full force. These facts were indisputable -- and unacceptable, he said.

Advani maintained that his party's call for setting up a joint parliamentary committee remained in place as he rejected moves to create a mechanism involving the UPA and Left leaders.

The BJP leader remarked that the Congress and the Left should not treat the issue as a family affair. He also maintained that constitutional amendments should be carried out to ensure that agreements and treaties relating to national sovereignty and strategic interests were ratified by Parliament.

Mumbai, August 30
Sections in the Indian nuclear establishment that are in favour of the Indo-US nuclear deal have come out in support of the 123 agreement signed between the two countries just ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai on Friday.

Supporters of the deal have expressed surprise that the UPA government has bowed down to the pressure from the Left parties and is poised to put the agreement in cold storage. Senior members of the Indian nuclear establishment, who are backing the deal, are now waiting for the statement from Manmohan Singh when he visits Mumbai.

Manmohan Singh, who will formally commission the third and fourth plants of the Tarapur Atomic Power Station, is expected to throw light on the government’s stand on the issue. On the other hand, the Left parties are also pressing the UPA government to formally announce the slowing down of the negotiations in the 123 agreement.

Senior nuclear scientists associated with the Bhabha research centre, who back the deal, have now issued a statement backing the deal.

“With the country’s ever increasing energy needs and with a view to end the 33-year-long nuclear isolation, the importance of the deal has to be understood by the people of India and should not be hijacked by the Opposition and the political parties supporting the UPA government,” a statement signed by some of the top scientists said.

The campaign in support of the deal is being led by A.K. Anand, a senior nuclear scientist, who has worked with some of the top international experts in the field.

“Some political parties, including ones supporting the government, are doubting the integrity of the Prime Minister and this is a matter of national shame,” the statement said.

The scientists insist that the nuclear deal does not interfere with India’s strategic programme.