The Hindu : No troops for Iraq without consensus, PM assures Sonia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 16, 2003

Front Page

Front Page

No troops for Iraq without consensus, PM assures Sonia

By Our New Delhi Bureau

The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, with the Leader of the Opposition, Sonia Gandhi, and Congress leaders Manmohan Singh and Natwar Singh during a meeting at his residence in New Delhi on Sunday.

NEW DELHI JUNE 15. The Government today assured the Congress that it had not taken any decision on sending Indian troops to Iraq and committed itself to not taking a final view without a national consensus at home — through consultations with Opposition and ruling parties — and discussions with other countries neighbouring Iraq.

The Government's view was articulated by the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, immediately after the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's consultations on the sensitive issue with the Leader of the Opposition, Sonia Gandhi, this evening.

The confabulations suggested that the Government would take its time on arriving at a decision on the issue which was fraught with grave implications at home and abroad notwithstanding the fact that a U.S. administration team is arriving here for discussions tomorrow on precisely this issue.

What is ironical is that while the Prime Minister today began the process of eliciting views from the Opposition not a word has come on where the Government stands or what it wishes to do. In fact, in a letter to Mr. Vajpayee on June 4 Ms. Gandhi had sought a clarification on the Government's exact position, and today's consultation was in response to this.

At the meeting Ms. Gandhi is believed to have reiterated her party's position communicated to Mr. Vajpayee on June 4: "The Congress would be totally opposed to the deployment of Indian troops under any arrangement other than a United Nations command or as part of a multi-national peacekeeping force that has the explicit mandate of the U.N."

Besides the Prime Minister, Mr. Sinha, the Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh, and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Brajesh Mishra, were present during the discussions.

The Congress team comprised Ms. Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Manmohan Singh, and the chairman of the party's foreign policy department, Natwar Singh.

Later, Mr. Natwar Singh told reporters that they had suggested to the Government that it should consult other political parties as well as "important countries in the region". The party also advised discussions with France, Germany and Russia.

Mr. Natwar Singh was emphatic that the Government had conveyed: "No decision would be taken unless there was a national consensus was evolved on the issue."

Mr. Sinha then confirmed that the "Government will hold discussions with countries in the region as well as with interested parties here, including those of the NDA".

A final view would be taken "in the best national interest".

In response to questions, he said that he was "not in a position to clarify right now" which countries India would hold discussions with on the issue.

The Congress had asked a number of questions (presumably including one on how the Government could think of Indian troop deployment in Iraq when a unanimous parliamentary resolution had called for withdrawal of all foreign troops from that country), Mr. Sinha said. The Congress was told that "the Government has not yet taken a decision".

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

Stories in this Section

No troops for Iraq without consensus, PM assures Sonia

Iraq may figure in Advani-Blair talks

No fruitful talks after Musharraf's Kargil remarks: Advani

One more attempt today to build consensus on women's bill

Former J&K Minister killing: police-militant nexus unearthed

We'll consider Kanchi Acharya's proposal: AIMPLB

ASI seeks more time

MLA held for murder

EPDP member shot dead

5 'terrorists' killed