By Manish Chand, IANS
On Board Air India One : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday admitted there was a “setback” to his government with the stalling of the India-US nuclear deal, but stressed that he has not “given up hope” of building a “national consensus” and finding “a way out” of the political impasse to operationalise the deal.
Ahead of the Left-UPA meeting Oct 22, Manmohan Singh stressed that his government has put safeguards negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on hold as political problems needed to be resolved before going ahead with the next steps, including the IAEA pact and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) rule change.
“We are in a coalition, we have to find a way out and I have not given up hope,” Manmohan Singh told reporters in a mid-air press conference on his way back home from Johannesburg.
“I have mentioned that there are some difficulties. I think we will make every effort. We are trying to evolve national consensus,” he replied when asked whether his government was hopeful of completing the nuclear deal during its tenure before the end of 2008.
“I hope that the process which emerges as a result of wide-ranging discussions with our coalition partners will enable us to move forward. I think we have to resolve our problems at home and that process is on,” Manmohan Singh said.
“I think the consultation process is still on. The interaction process is still on. Therefore, I would not like to predict the end result,” the prime minister said when asked what would be the outcome of the meeting between the Left and the ruling United Progressive Alliance slated for Oct 22.
Three days ago, Manmohan Singh had explained to US President George Bush in a telephonic conversation that “certain difficulties” had arisen in implementing the nuclear deal, which reinforced the impression that the deal was headed for a deep freeze due to the compulsions of coalition politics.
The government is, however, making renewed efforts to mobilise a national consensus as the nuclear deal has the potential to break its alliance with the Left parties, which may lead to its ouster from power.
“Our discussions with the members of the NSG will come only after we have an India-specific safeguards agreement with the IAEA,” he said when asked if Brazil and South Africa offered their support to India in the NSG when he met Presidents Lula da Silva of Brazil and Thabo Mbeki of South Africa during the IBSA summit in Pretoria Wednesday.
“Only after that, the NSG members will consider cooperation with us. The problems that have arisen – you all know about it,” he said.
The prime minister appeared concerned about the impact India’s failure to go ahead with the nuclear deal will have on its image in the global arena but put on a brave face saying with an air of philosophical resignation that it was not “the end of life”.
“We have done many things and there are a lot of things to be done. So, I think there’s a setback in one direction, but I would not say that it is the end of life,” Manmohan Singh replied when asked whether the failure to arrive at a consensus at home has affected India’s image in the international community.
“When something does not work out the way you plan it, it does have an effect. But as I said last week in India at the Hindustan Times summit, we are not a one-issue government. We have lots of other things on our agenda,” he said.
The prime minister also sought to dispel the impression that there were differences among the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) partners over the nuclear deal.
“This agreement was approved by the cabinet. So I don’t know what you say about UPA going back on it. They were part and parcel of the cabinet process,” he said in a comment on the reported remarks by some of the Congress’ allies.
“In life one has to live with uncertainties. But as far as the cabinet is concerned, let me remind you that the political affairs committee of the cabinet, which has representatives of all political parties in the coalition, has approved the 123 agreement,” he stressed.