Click to play videoNew Delhi: Nuclear envoy Shyam Saran on Monday hinted at a Government plan to overcome Left objections to the nuclear deal.
He said that America's help was crucial for India to not only get the nuclear deal through the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) but also to facilitate nuclear business with France and Russia.
He described the current US administration as favorably inclined towards India but warned that delays have deepened the uncertainties over the future of the nuclear deal.
India is presently negotiating a safeguards agreement with the IAEA.
Saran, while underlining that the Indo-US civil nuclear deal had nothing that would impact India's military programme, said "frankly, I do not think that we could have secured any better safeguards for our interests" in the deal.
"While there has been intense focus on the Indo-US bilateral agreement, much of the commentary on the subject has lost sight of the multilateral regime whose adjustment in favour of India is what we are aiming at," he said.
Talking about opposition by Left parties to the growing ties with Washington, the Prime Minister's envoy said "whatever be the reservations that have been expressed about our relations with the US, no other friendly country, member of the NSG has the necessary standing to lead the process of opening up the existing multilateral regime to accommodate India."
Without referring to the Opposition by Left parties, he said even if the "controversies at home were somehow resolved", the process the government is engaged in "will face several challenges ahead".
Left parties, which extend crucial support to the UPA government, have been opposing growing relations with the US, particularly the civil nuclear deal. They, however, have no problems with India pursuing nuclear cooperation with other countries like Russia, France and Germany.
Saran noted that finalisation of the India-specific safeguards agreement with IAEA was still awaited and after that NSG will have to change guidelines to allow the world community to have nuclear trade with New Delhi.
(With PTI inputs)
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