SAPPORO, Japan (AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Tuesday that the withdrawal of communist allies from his coalition would not affect the stability of the government.

"I just learned it. I don't think it will affect the stability of our government," Singh told reporters in Japan on a visit to take part in a Group of Eight meeting.

The bloc of Indian left-wing and communist parties announced Tuesday they were pulling out of the coalition in protest against a nuclear energy deal with the United States.

Asked when he would go ahead with approaching the International Atomic Energy Agency to move ahead with the deal, Singh said: "As soon as possible."

Singh was due to meet with US President George W. Bush on Wednesday for talks on the 2005 deal, which would see India entering the fold of global nuclear commerce after being shut out for decades.

Singh argues the pact is crucial for India's energy security, but the communists insist it would bind India too closely to the United States.

The leftists had threatened to force an early election over the issue, but Singh last week wooed the regional Samajwadi Party into his Congress-led coalition, staving off the threat of his government collapsing.

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