India should abstain on Iran at IAEA: Yechury

Hindustan Times:

A key ally of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has indicated it could "rethink" its support if India did not abstain from voting on the Iran nuclear issue at the upcoming IAEA meeting in Vienna.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), which extends outside support to the Manmohan Singh's government, wants that India should remain neutral on the issue by abstaining from voting, instead of voting against Iran. READ MORE

At the September meet of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meet, India had voted in favour of a European Union resolution, backed by the US, seeking Iran's referral to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions unless it could prove that its nuclear activity was meant for peaceful purposes.

Iran's case will be taken up at the Nov 24 meeting of the IAEA board of governors.

On the Iran vote, senior CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said: "We would like to tell the government very clearly that India should at least abstain and not vote against Iran, if the issue comes up at IAEA meeting in Vienna on November 24.

"India should strongly place its view that this entire issue should be solved within the IAEA and should not be taken to the UN," Yechury told the BBC Hindi service on Sunday.

"The United Progressive Alliance government is deviating from the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) on key foreign policy decisions. We strongly object to this," the CPI-M politburo member said.

Asked to what extent the Left parties would oppose the UPA government on the issue, Yechury said: "That would depend on what stand the UPA government takes on November 24.

"We are clearly telling Manmohan Singh government that it should not repeat its past mistake. At this moment we are doing all that is possible to put pressure on the government, and it is not Left pressure alone, there is pressure from the international community as well".

He added: "The danger of instability for the UPA government would be there if it violates the Common Minimum Programme. Our point is that the government would last five years, if it adheres to the CMP.

"We find that the CMP is not being followed in the foreign policy as was done in the economic policies earlier. We want the government to follow the CMP. The stability of UPA government depends on its rectification of mistakes in these policies, if it does not do so, we may have to think afresh".

The Left parties, he said, were trying to put pressure on the government to return to the CMP, adding that it would be clear in the next 10-12 days if the pressure was working after India's stand on the issue was known.

Replying to questions from listeners from across the world, he said: "The experience of trying to secure permanent membership of UN Security Council by being a stooge of America shows it was a wrong move. If the Indian government makes the same mistake again, the experience would be the same.

"The chapter of India's efforts to secure a permanent membership of UN Security Council should be treated as closed...We have to start afresh now".