Walking the Thin Line ; India Gets Some Elbow Room On the Iran Nuclear Issue with the Consensus Among Major Powers On How to Proceed but with the Left in a Fighting Mood, the Government has Tough Choices to Make

Summary

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The recent decision of the Big-5 to direct the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to refer the Iran nuclear issue to the UN Security Council (UNSC) may have given India some elbow room to manoeuvre diplomatically. But with the Left insisting that the Iran issue should not be referred to the UNSC, the Government faces another acid test on whether India's foreign policy should be dictated by domestic political pressure.

The current round of controversy erupted following US Ambassador to India David C. Mulford's remarks linking the Indo-US nuclear deal to India's vote on Iran at the IAEA. Keeping in mind US President George W. Bush's big ticket India visit in March, the Government went on the back foot even as the UPA allies turned on the heat, seeking Mulford's recall.

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Extract

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Walking the Thin Line ; India Gets Some Elbow Room On the Iran Nuclear Issue with the Consensus Among Major Powers On How to Proceed but with the Left in a Fighting Mood, the Government has Tough Choices to Make

Mulford, in an interview to the Press Trust of India on January 26, had said that if New Delhi did not vote against Tehran's nuclear programme at the February 2 IAEA meeting in Vienna, the fallout of the Indo-US nuclear deal would be "devastating and the Indo-US nuclear init...

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