The next round of talks between the UPA and the Left parties on the Indo-US nuclear deal is scheduled for November 16.External Affairs Minister Pranab Kumar Mukherjee told the media at the end of the fifth round of the UPA-Left committee meeting today that the government had agreed to keep the operationalisation of the Indo-US nuclear deal on hold till all the differences on the deal were addressed.Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi are understood to have held discussions with the UPA allies on the issue. Sources said the Prime Minister reportedly did not hide his disapproval of some of the allies for opposing the deal.In an obvious reference to DMK leader M Karunanidhi's opposition to the nuclear deal, the Prime Minister said: "The deal had been approved by the cabinet where all the allies were present.''The meeting was attended by NCP chief Sharad Pawar, RJD chief Lalu Prasad and a representative from the DMK. Leaders of the Left parties - CPI(M), CPI, RSP, Forward Bloc - also met to fine-tune their response to the government stand on the deal following Singh's statement that the UPA government was not a "single issue government."Singh has been maintaining that he has not given up "hope" and that a way out will have to be found on the issue.
