Meeting after a gap of three months, during which India held negotiations with the international nuclear watchdog, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee “presented” the “outcome” of the talks on the draft agreement to top Left leaders.

Left leaders said after the meeting that the government told them that the draft safeguards agreement addressed Indian concerns like safeguards and assurances of fuel supplies in perpetuity and the issue of strategic reserves.

They were also told by Mukherjee that the IAEA was also working on how to accommodate India, which is outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty regime but has a nuclear capability.

“The members of the Committee felt that further discussion was needed. It was decided to hold the next meeting in April, 2008,” Mukherjee, with CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury by his side, told reporters after the 90-minute meeting.

But a senior Left leader wondered how IAEA could guarantee fuel supplies because they are not fuel suppliers.

Left leaders said the impression they got was that the government did not seem to be in any tearing hurry to push ahead on the deal with the US.