Talks with IAEA to continue: Pranab

NEW DELHI: The government on Friday clarified that talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on India-specific safeguards would continue even as it has agreed to put on hold the operationalisation of the India-US nuclear deal till a panel comes out with its findings on the pact.

"Operationalisation means that you put the deal into effective implementation. The talks (with IAEA) cannot be a part of the operationalisation process," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told in his parliament house office.

On Thursday evening, Mukherjee announced that a joint committee of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and Left representatives would look into "certain aspects of the bilateral agreement, the implications of the Hyde Act on the 123 agreement (between New Delhi and Washington) and (on) self-reliance in the nuclear sector, the implications of the nuclear agreement on foreign policy and security cooperation.

"The operationalisation of the deal will take into account the committee's findings," he had said after a meeting with Left leaders at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence.

The formation of the committee had ended a dragging standoff between the government and the Left, which is vehemently opposed to the nuclear deal, though confusion persisted over some aspects of the UPA-Left agreement.

The proposed committee is likely to include six members from the Left and eight from the UPA.