External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh, right, at a press conference at the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C., on June 12. At left is Acting Ambassador Rakesh Sood. PHOTO RIGHT, Singh laying a wreath at the foot of the Mahatma Gandhi Statue outside the embassy, before his press conference. (Photos: Rajan Devadas)

Washington : External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh on June 12 ruled out the possibility of India sending troops to Iraq, setting at rest a controversy over his earlier observations on the issue.

“The question of sending Indian troops to Iraq does not arise,” he told a press conference here, insisting that the “government position on this issue is based on national consensus, reflected in a parliamentary resolution.” Moreover, “no request has been made (by the United States) for sending Indian troops,” he added.

The minister, however, said, India welcomed the United Nations Security Council resolution approving the formation of the interim government in Iraq.

Singh had, after a meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell on June 10, hinted that India may review its stand on sending troops to Iraq in light of the U.N. resolution. The comment had caused a furor back home, with coalition partners criticizing him for departing from the country’s stated stand.

At his press conference, Singh said the U.N. resolution was “a first step in restoring sovereignty to the Iraqi people, leading to stability and reconstruction (in Iraq),” he said. “We will keep developments in Iraq under close review. All decisions will be taken by the government in close consultation with all coalition members.”

He expressed “surprise” at the furor his earlier statement on Iraq had created back home, particularly in the ruling coalition.

Singh said he spoke to Communist Party of India-Marxist chief Harkishen Singh Surjit as the party, which is a prominent constituent of the ruling alliance, had sought a clarification from the government on the issue following his observations. “I have spoken to Surjit and sent him the text of what I said.”

The minister said he was surprised at the interpretation of the statement he made on Iraq in response to questions following his hour-long meeting with Secretary Powell.

He said he was only referring to the U.N. resolution and “I said we will have a second look at the resolution. And nobody referred to the deployment of troops (in Iraq).” Moreover, he said, he himself had been among the authors of the parliamentary resolution that had rejected the U.S. request for Indian forces in Iraq. He said he was taken aback at the spin his statement received back home.

Replying to a question, he said Kashmir did not figure in his talks with Powell. India, he said, will continue its dialogue with Pakistan, keeping in mind the Simla Agreement, the 1999 Lahore Declaration and the joint statement of January 2004.

Asked whether he raised India’s demand for a permanent seat in the U.N. Security Council during his meeting with Powell, the minister said he did not formally raise the issue. But the demand would be taken note of at the time of review of the U.N. to reflect current-day realities.

Recalling his talks with Powell he said: “We expressed or mutual desire to strengthen our already close engagement. We agreed that we share a common interest and vision and that we will not let our differences overshadow the important areas of agreement.

“I expressed optimism that we will be able to maintain and enhance the tempo of our partnership, not just in the political sphere, but in the areas of defense, economics, and commercial ties, science and technology, and high-tech commerce as well.

“Since we have clear commonalties in shaping a democratic and pluralistic world order, free of terrorism it is imperative that we recognize the strategic threats that each of our nations face and forge a partnership based on mutual trust and friendship,” the external affairs minister said.