The Hindu : Post war Iraq: 'Bonn-type process will help'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 04, 2003

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Post war Iraq: 'Bonn-type process will help'

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI April 3. The United States and the United Kingdom should not wield direct authority in the post-war Iraq and must, instead, convene a Bonn-type process that mapped out the political change in Afghanistan.

Highly-placed sources here told this correspondent that the U.S. and the U.K. would be making "a grave mistake" if they decided to retain their security forces in Iraq for the next couple of years.

The assessment in Indian official circles is that if this happened there would be resentment not just in Iraq, but in the Arab world.

Such a security presence would be seen as an "occupying force", they argued.

A close watch is being maintained on the Iraq war.

The march of the "coalition troops" towards Baghdad and the resistance to them are of special interest here.

The sources felt that if the Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, was no longer in the scene then it could make a major difference to the U.S.-U.K. effort.

However, they pointed out that Mr. Hussein was a "wily man" and could still have some surprises up his sleeve.

While supporting a Bonn-type process in Iraq, they made a clear distinction between Iraq and Afghanistan.

With its educated people and long civilisation (as opposed to a bombed-out Afghanistan and a medieval Taliban), there could be little comparison between Iraq and Afghanistan.

The people's expectations from a post-Saddam Iraq would be much more than, say, what people were demanding after the departure of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Referring to the Opposition demand for "condemning" the war against Iraq, the sources said it was very likely that the Iraq issue would be raised in Parliament when it meets on Monday.

The Government, however, would not use the language being demanded by the Opposition.

There had been no support for the military campaign against Iraq and the Government had clearly said the attack was "unjustified" and "avoidable".

Asked about the link between the Government's position on Iraq and the initial U.S. remarks on prescribing the dialogue path to resolve India-Pakistan tensions, the sources made no secret of the unhappiness with the initial U.S. State Department statement.

They pointed out that Indian displeasure was made plain by the statements issued by the Foreign Office spokesman.

It was following these remarks that a joint statement, which called upon Pakistan to end support for militancy, was issued by the U.S. and the U.K.

The sources made it clear that India's questioning the suggestion for a "dialogue" to deal with Pakistan and the military attack on Iraq and Afghanistan had a clear connection.

More "critical" statements had come from Government Ministers following the "dialogue" prescription, they added.

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