India abjures US request of sending troops to Iraq
16 July, 2003
Few days before Indian Government refused US Government officially to send its troops to Iraq for peacekeeping. This decision came after two hour meeting of security committee in New Delhi. The United States had asked India for a division -- 15,000 to 20,000 soldiers to command a sector of northern Iraq around the city of Mosul.
Yashwant Sinha, Foreign Minister of India, informed reporters, ‘Were there to be an explicit U.N. mandate for the purpose, the government of India could consider the deployment of our troops in Iraq’
"Our longer-term national interest, our concern for the people of Iraq, our longstanding ties with the Gulf region, as well as our growing dialogue and strengthened ties with the U.S. have been key elements in this consideration," he further added.
This decision has come up as a surprise to USA, who is in endeavor to establish a long term strategic alliance with India. At this policy disclosing decision by Indian Foreign minister, US State Department expresses its remarks with disappointment. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "We would have hoped that India would have made a different choice -- that they would be there,"
The statement by Yashwant Sinha is very important in terms of Indian foreign relations with Iraq. In past, India led strong military coordination with Iraq supported Saddam’s bath party and its government in cold war and post cold war timeline.
What do you think about the intentions of India from its recent renounce to America?
What does India mean by ‘long standing ties with Gulf’??
Is it possible to identify cracks between Indo-American relations??
Does India intends to counter-strike Pakistan by deepening ties to Middle East ?
|
