The UPA-Left committee on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal is likely to meet on May 5. However, Left leaders refused to confirm the date. Sources also said CPM general secretary Prakash Karat has also written, on behalf of the Left parties, to foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee seeking clarifications about the IAEA safeguard negotiations and reiterating Left's opposition to the nuclear deal. The last meeting of the committee took place on March 17 when the government had explained to the Left leaders the highlights of the IAEA draft agreement and also argued that many of the concerns raised by Left had been addressed. The committee, set up last year to resolve differences between the government and Left allies over the deal, is expected to deliberate at the upcoming meeting whether or not India should sign the safeguards agreement with IAEA. At the last meeting, the Left parties had conveyed that they would study the agreement and spell out their position when the committee meets again. The Left parties, after going through the draft agreement, have already made it clear that they stand by their objections to operationalisation of the deal. The nod of the Left parties is crucial for the government to go ahead with implementation of the nuclear deal as they have warned against taking any steps in this direction without their approval of the agreement with IAEA.