Don't sign IAEA accord: Left to Govt

Hectic efforts to resolve the stand-off over the Indo-US nuclear deal continued on Friday evening with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee discussing the issue top Left leaders who clearly told the government that it should not sign the safeguards agreement with the IAEA.

Hours after Left parties threatened to break ties with the UPA if nuclear deal is implemented, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat met Mukherjee and discussed the issue in the light of government's attempts to go ahead with the agreement.

"I explained to him (Mukherjee) the Left parties' stand adopted at our meeting," Karat told reporters after his over hour-long discussions with the External Affairs Minister who will be out of the country from Saturday for three days before the June 25 meeting of the UPA-Left committee.

"We have asked the government not to proceed further on the IAEA safeguards agreeement," the CPI(M) leader said.

After Karat, CPI National Secretary D Raja also met Mukherjee and conveyed a similar message.