'Govt trying to resolve issues with Left'

NEW DELHI: Government on Monday expressed willingness to set up a mechanism to resolve the stand-off with Left parties over the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, CPI leader AB Bardhan said.

Bardhan, who met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, said the two sides agreed that the mechanism should be at the political level.

"We had a discussion on the issue of the opposition to the Indo-US nuclear cooperation deal. We discussed all the questions. It was decided that a mechanism should be worked out," the CPI General Secretary told reporters after a 90-minute meeting.

He said the Congress leadership would hold separate discussions with other Left parties -- CPI(M), Forward Bloc and RSP.

"After they have come to a conclusion, a formal meeting will be held," Bardhan said.

The Core Group of the Congress had met here last week soon after Party Chief Sonia Gandhi's return from a tour of South Africa and decided to hold talks with Left leaders to find a way out.

The Left leaders have already been talking to the leaders of the UPA-led coalition and CPI National Secretary D Raja had a meeting with Mukherjee on Sunday.

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury has also briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his party's position that it did not want the current crisis to affect the government, though it was "contingent upon the government not proceeding further with the agreement".

Yechury has also held a series of meetings during the week, including those with Gandhi and Mukherjee.