Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger on Saturday said he was hopeful of a solution to the Indo-US civil nuclear deal in the near future.
Are you satisfied with the PM's statements on the Indo-US nuclear deal?
The India-United States civil nuclear deal inked during Bush Administration has not been handled as well it should have been by the US, a key Republican lawmaker has said.
Denying desisting from their stated position on the Indo-US nuclear deal, the Left parties on Tuesday asserted that they were ready for "any eventuality" even as they continued their engagement with the government to break the impasse over the issue.
Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who has always played a key role in defusing tensions with the Left, were also present at the crucial meeting.
After two hours of deliberations between the United Progressive Alliance and the Left parties, it was decided that they would meet again on October 5 to narrow down their differences over the Indo-US nuclear deal
He described the agreement as a "very good step forward".
Sonia held discussions with Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan in an effort to break the logjam over the issue that has created a face-off between the Congress and the Left parties. The leaders of the UPA constituents conveyed to Sonia that they back the nuclear deal, but do not favour early polls, particularly because of high inflation.
While the precise nature of the Monday night talks was not divulged, sources said the two sides exchanged frank and candid views on bilateral defence cooperation and regional and other security issues.
US President Barack Obama on Sunday asked Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attacks to justice, saying this would help improve the security situation in the region. Obama also did not commit any civilian nuclear deal with Pakistan on the lines of that of India.
A greater supply of nuclear power would leave India less reliant on and 'less inclined to enter into billion dollar energy deals with Iran,' the daily said.
Ahead of the crucial Left-United Progressive Alliance committee meeting in Delhi on Friday on the Indo-US nuclear deal, the outside supporters of the Centre, after allowing the government to approach the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Thursday said they did not want the agreement to be operationalised at any cost.
A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishanan declined to entertain the PIL filed by Mumbai-based IITian M N Ramamurthy. In his plea, Ramamurthy had contended that the contents of the agreements were detrimental to security of the country.
Significantly, the meeting between Menon and Burns on Tuesday will take place 10 days after senior officials from the two sides met in the South African city of Cape Town.
In the mid-1980s, India and the US struggled to arrive at sufficient confidence for Washington to even sell a supercomputer to India for monsoon prospecting. Now, the most sensitive military technologies, data, and intelligence resources are being shared. This would not have happened without that one, big deal that changed the fundamentals of India-US relations, notes Shekhar Gupta.
It is believed that the Left will go ahead with its threat to withdraw support to the alliance following Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that he would meet the Nuclear Suppliers Group on Tuesday and seek their support for the civil nuclear cooperation with the US.
As the United Progressive Alliance-Left standoff over the Indo-US nuclear deal continued, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday said party supremo Bal Thackeray will play a "crucial" role in the unfolding political crisis. The statement by party spokesman Sanjay Raut, MP, came at a time when the Congress is desperately seeking support from new parties and groups in the wake of threats by the Left parties to withdraw support over the nuke deal.
Aspects of the two bills on the deal passed by the US House of Representatives and the Senate were 'not identical' and the process of reconciling them will 'have to take on board our concerns,' Dr Singh said.
A senior Obama administration official has said that Indian should ensure the full implementation of the India-United States civil nuclear deal and that New Delhi is aware about this but have not done it yet.
The crucial meeting of the United Progressive Alliance-Left Committee on the Indo-US nuclear deal scheduled for November 16 stands postponed.
'In Parliament, he was the one person who stood for democracy and secularism even when the principal Opposition party was not very forthright in taking on the BJP and RSS.'
War veterans feel the accord serves the future security of America.
As soon as the House met for the day, Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies raised the issue vociferously with Deputy Leader of the Opposition V K Malhotra taking exception to the formation of the committee.
Making it clear that the Left was not prepared to back down on the issue, Bardhan said it was up to the government to decide whether it wanted to continue or commit sati on the issue.
'It will be a very positive step,' said Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Garh Store.
Making it clear that the Left would not budge from its firm stand, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat said to 'Kairali' TV channel, "We will not compromise, if they go ahead with the strategic alliance with the US. If they go ahead to fulfil their word with President Bush, for 40 years this agreement will bind India. It will affect our independent foreign policy. We cannot accept that.
Yechury has said changes brought in by the US will make India completely dependent on it.
An anonymous lawmaker in the Senate put a 'hold' on consideration of the Bill in the Senate, which must be lifted before the agreement is brought to its floor or approved by a Unanimous Consent Agreement. It, however, is not clear what provision of the Senate Bill is the lawmaker objecting to.
The BJP has asked for a comment from the Prime Minister on the issue. The Samajwadi Party and AIADMK are also likely to oppose the deal in the upper house.
UnitThe ed States concluded the landmark civil nuclear deal with India on the premise that a strong and enduring partnership with New Delhi would enhance America's national security and economy, a top Senator said on Monday.
He said the US was more interested in trumpeting the deal as a foreign policy victory.
The Bush administration has expressed hope that the US Congress will pass a legislation on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal in a manner that would not make radical changes in the historic agreement so that they could "faithfully" implement it.
Iran's growing proximity to China may have also played a part.
Democrat leader John Edwards is a a likely presidential candidate for 2008.
The crucial joint session of Pakistan Parliament that will endorse new terms of engagement with the United States began in Islamabad on Tuesday, following a string of crises, including the November 26 strike by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which took relations to an all-time low. The joint session of the Senate and National Assembly, summoned by President Asif Ali Zardari, will debate the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee.
Congressional sources said on Tuesday that the bill was unlikely to be taken up during the current session as there are 'limited legislative days left' and so much work to do.
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