"We have said that if the government wants to start talks with the IAEA it can do so but it has to show us the text of the deal before signing it," Communist Party of India official D. Raja said, referring to International Atomic Energy Agency.

Indian communists propping up the Congress-led government have opposed the nuclear deal and threatened to topple the administration if went ahead with the pact, which helped to stall the accord.

But the televised statement by Raja, the communist party's national secretary, was seen as a significant concession.

The deal clinched in August aims to bring New Delhi into the loop of global nuclear commerce after a gap of three decades. It is seen as the cornerstone of India's rapidly warming ties with the United States.

A group of communist parties have said the deal in its current form would subject India to harsh international safeguards that could harm the country's nuclear weapons programme.

The group also opposes closer political and strategic ties with Washington.

But communist leader A.B. Bardhan told NDTV news channel that a committee set up to iron out differences with the government had concluded it "can be allowed to talk to the IAEA provided they come back before to the joint panel before initialling" any agreement.

India has to negotiate the IAEA pact besides securing the support of the 45 member Nuclear Suppliers Group, which controls the global nuclear trade, before it can buy technology and atomic power plants to power its growing economy.

The deal also requires approval from the US Congress.

All rights reserved. © 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.