The Hindu : National : No request for Indian troops to Iraq, says Armitage

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Thursday, Jul 15, 2004

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No request for Indian troops to Iraq, says Armitage

By Amit Baruah

The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, with the Leader of the Opposition, L.K. Advani, at the Parliament House on Wednesday. - Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

NEW DELHI, JULY 14. The United States Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, said today that he had made no request that India send troops to Iraq during meetings with the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, the Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, the External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh, and other senior officials.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Armitage said, without being specific, on Iraq: "The Government of India has indicated there are ways by which they might be helpful ... there might be some training opportunities here in India."

Briefing the press on Mr. Armitage's meetings, the External Affairs Ministry spokesman said separately that the two sides exchanged their perceptions and assessments on Iraq.

Welcoming the transfer of power as a first step towards full sovereignty, India stated its concerns about the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Iraq.

India, the spokesman said, reiterated its willingness to reconstruct Iraq in line with the views of the people and Parliament of India. New Delhi wanted the early restoration of security, stability and the way of life of the Iraqi people.

Asked if the Government had raised the issue of the vigorous body searches that the then Defence Minister, George Fernandes, was subjected to in 2002 and 2003, he said the "issue" had already been addressed by Mr. Armitage.

For his part, Mr. Armitage said he had expressed his "sincere apologies" to Mr. Fernandes during a telephone conversation with the former Defence Minister this morning.

Asked what steps the U.S. would take to ensure that such incidents did not recur, Mr. Armitage said, "There are things that we can and should do." There was a need to educate the American personnel involved in customs and immigration work.

Mr. Armitage said he had no knowledge of the incidents involving Mr. Fernandes earlier. Asked if a protest had been lodged by India earlier, the U.S. official said he had no knowledge of it.

While stating that he would accept whatever the former Indian Ambassador to the U.S., Lalit Mansingh, had said on the issue, Mr. Armitage added that had there been a Government of India protest, he would have heard about it.

On whether there was any difference of approach between the previous and present Governments in India, he said: "I must say that there seems to be no difference between the Opposition and the Government in power on the desirability of enhanced India-U.S. relations."

"We have absolute confidence that the U.S.-India relationship will grow in all its aspects," Mr. Armitage said. Foreign policy itself was not a major area of disagreement between the Opposition and the United Progressive Alliance.

On whether Pakistan had dismantled the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil, he said all of it had not been dismantled. Referring to infiltration, he said "any level" of infiltration was too much.

The point, he said, was not to have any infiltration at all. Asked what he thought of Pakistani actions against the Al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists on its border with Afghanistan, the U.S. official said the Pakistani friends were engaged in "full force" in the battle against the Al-Qaeda.

The whole question of Pakistan and the Taliban was more complicated, he said, adding that they wanted the Pakistanis to be "more muscular" on this issue.

Denying that the U.S. was getting increasingly isolated in Iraq, Mr. Armitage said the Iraqi people had accepted the new "government" with alacrity. In his view, Iraqis today were not fighting Americans, but other Iraqis.

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