The Hindu : Decision on Iraq remains open

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2003

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Decision on Iraq remains open

By C. Raja Mohan

NEW DELHI June 16. At the end of a crucial round of talks with the visiting team of American officials today, the Government kept open the prospect of sending a large contingent of troops to stabilise Iraq.

The discussions with the civilian and military officials of the Pentagon, the Foreign Office said, were part of the "wide-ranging consultations" the Government was holding in order to "take appropriate decisions as necessary" on sending troops to Iraq.

Today's talks with the U.S., believed to be both "intense and focussed" are expected to assist the Government in making up its mind on a potentially historic decision to take part in the political and economic reconstruction of the Iraqi state. There was nothing in the External Affairs Ministry statement today to suggest that the Government was saying "no" to the long-pending American request to take charge of an entire regional sector in northern Iraq.

But the Government has not said "yes" either. An eventual decision will now depend on domestic political dynamics. Building a national consensus on troop deployment for Iraq in turn depends on convincing the establishment here that the Indian involvement is indeed in the political interest of the Iraqi people.

If the Government finally decides to move troops to Iraq, the size of the Indian military presence there will be second only to that of the United States. Before deploying troops on such a large scale in a sensitive situation, the Government wants to convince itself that the situation in Iraq will move rapidly towards an establishment of an interim administration by the Iraqis themselves.

The Pentagon team of civilian and military officials led by Peter Rodman, Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security, which arrived here last night briefed the Government today on the current conditions in Iraq.

The discussions, according to the Foreign Office, looked at "the development of a responsible Iraqi interim administration, future political evolution in Iraq and the humanitarian relief and reconstruction activities".

The Government team that included senior officials from the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces sought clarification on a number of issues relating to the nature of the Indian forces "that would be required for stability operations, their role and mandate and the relationship with the United Nations", the Foreign Office said.

The Indian team was led by B.S. Prakash, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. Mr. Rodman called on the Foreign Secretary, Kanwal Sibal, and the National Security Adviser, Brajesh Mishra.

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