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Nothing in n-deal to hurt national interests: PM

NAT17National/Diplomacy/Energy/PoliticsNothing in n-deal to hurt national interests: PMBy Manish ChandOn Board PM's Special Aircraft, Oct 1 IANS As the US Senate readies to vote on the India-US nuclear deal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday stressed that the initiative protects the "essentials interests" of the country, including its strategic programme. "The nuclear initiative will help our country to move forward to manage its energy situation in a manner that is consistent with our national goals of combating climate change through developing clean sources of energy," the prime minister said. "I would not comment. I would like to see the final outcome of the process that is underway in the US Congress," he told reporters when asked whether the nuclear deal would work to the government's advantage in the elections. "I am not an astrologer," he said, underlining that if India's concerns were addressed properly the nuclear deal would help India achieve energy security and combat climate change. Alluding to the break-up with Left parties over the nuclear deal, the prime minister said he felt sad when Communists parted company but had not given up hope of persuading them about the merits of the agreement. "I still have not given up hope to carry conviction with them that what we have done the nuclear deal to protect all the essential interests of our country," he told reporters while returning from a 10-day trip to US and France. "It protects our strategic programme, it opens up new options for India to manage its energy situation and it is part of our policy which would widen our development options. "So I sincerely believe that whether it is the BJP Bharatiya Janata Party or the Left if they look objectively there is nothing in the nuclear deal which will hurt the interests of the country," the prime minister said, indicating that the government would pitch the nuclear deal to the electorate in the next elections, likely in another six months. The Left parties withdrew their support to the United Progressive Alliance over the nuclear deal, forcing a trust vote in the parliament which the ruling United Progressive Alliance UPA won July 22. Indicating that the UPA had not shut its doors to the erstwhile Left allies, the prime minister underlined that he would "like all friendly like-minded segments of the ppulation to work together to resolve all major problems - social, political, economic"."India is on a verge of great opportunities and the challenge to India is not so much from external environment as how we manage our domestic politics," he said when asked about the possibilities of the Left rejoining the ruling coalition. "I would like all political parties to pool their wisdom, knowledge and experience to deal collectively with all national problems - that applies to the Left, that applies to the BJP - that applies to everyone," he said.--Indo-Asian News Service mc/mj/jg512 Words*01101233