The government has not "given up" on the Indo-US nuclear deal, and dismissed any link between the recent electoral defeats of Congress and progress with Left parties on the issue.External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee also discounted the possibility of mid-term polls in the wake of differences with Left parties on the deal.During an interaction with PTI editors here, Mukherjee, the key government negotiator with the Left on the deal, agreed that "time is running out" for completing the processes in executing it. "But, one cannot help it.""No, I have not given up. We are working on how we can proceed," he said. He was replying to a question whether the government has not given up on the deal because of the stiff opposition from Left parties.He dismissed suggestions that the deal would now be on the backburner as the Left may step up pressure in the wake of the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh poll outcome, saying "their position is not linked with electoral successes and reverses."Making light of a question on the possibility of snap polls, he said "so long as you go on talking about mid-term poll... Ultimately we will reach the day when polls will be held in time."Mukherjee side-stepped repeated queries on a specific timeframe for operationalising the deal, but hoped that negotiations with IAEA on a safeguards treaty should be completed by the end of the month.COMPLETE COVERAGE: NUKE DEAL - RED OR GREEN?
