PM says: stop speculation, deal not dead

NI Wire

New Delhi

Thu, 8 May 2008: 

The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh opened its much needed mouth in clear terms Wednesday on the two most challenging issues of Indo-US civil nuclear deal and the domestic inflation facing by the UPA government at the sidelined of the military investiture at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

He scotched the news airing some news channels yesterday that the nuclear deal was dead rather he said the government was still working positively with good intention to wrap up the deal.

“I am hopeful as long as we are discussing it,” said Manmohan Singh annulling the media speculation of scrapping the nuke deal. “We are negotiating in good faith,” he added.

The speculation started diffusing after meeting of the UPA-Left committee on nuclear deal found to almost fail in evolving any concrete decision. Though the two sides agreed to meet again for the ninth time on May 28. The day perhaps would be decisive for the Congress-led ruling UPA as it will be the day when Left announce its decision to allow the government go ahead on to achieve the nuclear deal or retreat from the path.

Four days before the decisive day, the Left Parties will meet on May 23 to clear its stand after deciding their strategy. Some objections raised by the Left in the seventh round of discussion were sorted out but the Party sought further clarifications on the safeguard agreement.

It was being expected that the meeting of the IAEA governing body on the India specific safeguard agreement would take place any time in Mid-May. The finalisation of the draft agreement had paved the way to Nuclear Supplier Group's (NSG) meeting to be held in Johannesburg on May 19. The plan seems to be cancelled as the UPA-Left committee have decided to meet next on May 28.

Apart from that the External Affairs Minister repeated the US voice that the US Congress would need sufficient time to pass the deal and hardly seven months were left for the current US government as it was already heading for the presidential elections for the formation of fresh government.

Mukherjee admitted that the domestic dispute over the deal by now threatened the time line for the operationalisation of the 123 Agreement. However, he still infused full hope in the operationalisation of the deal.

The government interlocutors said the four points of objections raised by the Left such as uninterrupted fuel supply, transfer of technology, reciprocity, and implications of the controversial Hyde Act for India's independent foreign policy and sovereignty had been addressed. The Left parties however in return said certain clauses also need more clarifications which they had asked for.

Now the Prime Minister advised the media and the people not to speculate wrong of the deal, we are still hopeful of the deal. The controversial nuclear deal had been delayed but not dead, he said.

Inflation to decelerate soon

To a query about the rising inflation, the Prime Minister said though the current rate has touched 7.5 percent but would come down expectedly in the next three months.

He accepted that people were facing problems owing to rising prices of daily use food items, and said our government had adopted certain number of measures to tame the inflation, which would bore its fruit soon.

He also said the evil of inflation even has not spared the developed nations of Europe and the US apart from China and other neighbouring countries.