Nuke deal; Mukherjee meets PM

New Delhi, Jun 21 (PTI) External Affairs Minister Pranab
Mukherjee on Saturday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
briefed him about the situation arising out of the
government's standoff with Left parties on the Indo-US nuclear
issue.
During the 40-minute meeting with the Prime Minister,
Mukherjee, who is also the government's chief negotiator on
the nuclear deal, is understood to have apprised Singh about
the deliberations he and Defence Minister A.K. Antony had with
leaders of the Left and United Progressive Alliance allies in
the last few days.
Mukherjee did not speak to reporters after the meeting.
He along with Antony had a two-hour long meeting with
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Friday night.
The government has been in the past few days trying to end
the face-off with Left parties on the nuclear deal which
showed no signs of abating.
Mukherjee on Friday night said, "there is no improvement
or deterioration (in the situation). It is a standstill."
UPA allies like the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Dravida
Munnettra Kazhgam and the Lok Janshakti Party, who were firmly
backing the government on the deal, have said that the
agreement was in the interest of the nation.
The allies have, however, said the government should take
in due consideration the viewpoints of Left in the matter.
The Left parties have already made it clear that they will
vote against the government if it moves ahead with the pact.
Mukherjee had on Friday night met Communist Party of India
(Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat and Communist Party
of India National Secretary D. Raja in a bid to find a way out
of the current imbroglio.
The two Left leaders asked the government not to go to the
IAEA for finalising the India-specific safeguards agreement
which they felt amounted to operationalising the nuclear deal