By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : Top Indian negotiators have extended their stay here by another day raising hopes that they may be close to an agreement on their civil nuclear deal with Vice President Dick Cheney stepping in to save the day.
National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon are staying back to take one more crack at the tough issues stalling the so-called 123 agreement to implement the deal Friday morning, officials said hours after the two met Cheney Thursday afternoon.
The political push from the influential vice president came as last-ditch efforts to find a compromise formula continued for the third day after an unscheduled meeting Wednesday with US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice followed by another with US National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley at the White House .
Menon was earlier scheduled to leave for home tonight and Narayanan tomorrow morning.