Date:28/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/28/stories/2005052804261300.htm

National

No Iraqi leader raised the issue of India sending troops, says Chinmay Gharekhan

Diplomatic Correspondent

India offers help to draft Iraqi Constitution Just because India had good relations with the Saddam Hussein Government it did not mean that New Delhi could not enjoy good relations with the new regime in Iraq.

NEW DELHI: No Iraqi leader who met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Special Envoy to West Asia, Chinmay Gharekhan, in Baghdad, raised the issue of India sending troops to Iraq. Mr. Gharekhan, who is back after a four-day visit to Baghdad, said he handed over a letter from Dr. Singh to Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari.

Other than the Iraqi Prime Minister, he met the Oil, Trade, Higher Education and Deputy Foreign Ministers, Mr. Gharekhan told presspersons. The letter he handed over to the Iraqi side contained an offer of Indian assistance to help draft the Iraqi Constitution.

Mr. Gharekhan told Mr. Al-Jaafari that there were many similarities between India and Iraq given their multi-ethnic and multi-religious character. India was a functioning democracy which could help Iraq in the drafting of a new Constitution. "It remains to be seen whether they act on our offer," he said.

Mr. Gharekhan maintained that just because India had good relations with the Saddam Hussein Government it did not mean that New Delhi could not enjoy good relations with the new regime in Iraq.

Asked about the issue of American-led occupying forces withdrawing from Iraq, the Special Envoy said the Iraqi Prime Minister and the Defence Minister had said that the situation did not permit the pull back of these forces.

"Superficial air of normality"

Mr. Gharekhan, who stayed at the Indian Ambassador's residence for security reasons, said that Iraq remained a violence-afflicted place. There were several car bombings in Baghdad during his stay, the Special Envoy said.

According to him, there was a "superficial air of normality" about Iraq with shops open and streets bustling with people. "It's very difficult to predict what will happen when. Overall, the situation remains one of concern," the Special Envoy remarked.

Asked who, in his opinion, was responsible for the ongoing violence in Iraq, Mr. Gharekhan identified three elements: nationalists (from the former Iraqi Army), foreign terrorists and criminal elements.

In his view, disbanding the old Iraqi Army was a major mistake. These elements, along with those from the Ba'ath Party, were opposed to the occupation, he maintained. Foreign terrorists were carrying out their "jehad" against the United States while criminal elements were simply kidnapping people for ransom.