NEW DELHI, 29 October 2004 — Accepting the demand of leftist parties, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday ruled out the possibility of sending Indian experts to train election workers in Iraq.
“We are all agreed that there is no question of sending anyone from India to Iraq. But if the Iraqis can come here to get trained we don’t have any problem because it is a UN request,” CPI leader A.B. Bardhan said after an hour-long breakfast meeting of left party leaders with Manmohan.
Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader Abani Roy said that National Security Adviser J.N. Dixit briefed them on several foreign policy issues, including recent talks with the leaders of Myanmar and Iran and developments in Israel and Afghanistan, in the presence of the prime minister.
Earlier, the four left parties — Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (CPI), RSP and Forward Bloc — had urged Manmohan not to send Indian officials or observers to Iraq. However they said India should be ready to provide election training to Iraqi officials if they came here.
On Wednesday, the left leaders had demanded a review of the Indo-Israel strategic ties in view of the increasing attacks on the Palestinian people and had demanded the release of pro-democracy leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi in Myanmar.
Expressing “serious concern” over disinvestment moves, they sought clarification on India joining the US-sponsored ballistic missile defense program.
The Manmohan government is likely to come under close scrutiny at the CPI’s three-day brainstorming sessions, beginning today. The day-long National Executive followed by a two-day National Council meeting will also finalize the agenda for the party’s 19th Congress to be held in Chandigarh from March 29 to April 3.
