NEW DELHI, 16 June 2003 — The Indian government is to hold consultations with countries in the Middle East over whether it should send troops to Iraq, Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha said yesterday.
His comments came after an hour-long meeting between Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and main opposition Congress leader Sonia Gandhi held to discuss a request from the United States, which is facing growing difficulties in replacing its own occupation troops with an international stabilization force in the war-ravaged country.
“Whatever decision will be taken will be taken in the best national interest,” Sinha said. “The government of India will hold consultations with countries in the region and interested political parties including those in the (federal coalition government) NDA (National Democratic Alliance),” he told reporters after the meeting.
Senior Congress leader K. Natwar Singh said Sonia suggested to the prime minister that other national parties and neighboring countries of Iraq be consulted on the matter.
“In the discussions the government side stated that no decision will be taken to send troops to Iraq until a national consensus is reached on the matter,” he said.
While Vajpayee’s ruling Hindu nationalist BJP party seems to be considering the American request favorably, some opposition groups are vehemently opposed to the idea of Indian soldiers working under US and British command, rather than under the UN flag. On June 4, Sonia wrote to Vajpayee expressing the party’s reservations on the issue and saying the deployment of troops should only be under the office of the UN.
But Congress sources told AFP yesterday that the party was “examining” various aspects related to the proposal and would express its views after the outcome of the visit by a Pentagon team which is coming to India in an attempt to dispel Indian misgivings over contributing troops.
Led by Peter Rodman, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, the US team will hold talks with senior defense and Foreign Ministry officials today.
US envoy to India, Robert Blackwill, last week said that if New Delhi decided to send troops they would not be used in combat operations and would not work under the US flag. “If Indian troops were deployed they would do so under the Indian flag,” he said.
