India may face isolation without N-deal: Mukherjee
By Jawed Naqvi
NEW DELHI, Feb 3: India and the IAEA discussing a complex civil nuclear deal are yet to clinch an acceptable agreement as Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee warned on Sunday that without it New Delhi could face global isolation.
“If the agreement is not through, we could have to face isolation and possibly isolation in sanction too,” External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was quoted by news agencies as saying at the annual general meeting of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce.
Mr Mukherjee said India and the global atomic watchdog were yet to find a common ground on the draft safeguards agreement necessary to operationalise the civilian nuclear deal with the United States and discussions were still on.
After finalising the draft pact, the Congress-led government would place it before a panel, involving its leftist allies, for a political go-ahead for the deal that aims to bring India out of nuclear wilderness, Mr Mukherjee said.
He said the agreements on civil nuclear cooperation with various countries would “help in increasing the share of civil nuclear power in our energy mix” and ensure energy security.
“My ministry is aware of these challenges and is making all attempts by focusing on bilateral and multilateral engagements for cooperation with source countries,” he said.
Once problems on the energy front were resolved, there would not be any stopping a sustainable growth at about 10 per cent in the 11th five-year plan.
