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Saturday, Nov 20, 2004

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India's position on Iraq shifts?

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI, NOV. 19. Has there been a shift in New Delhi's position on Iraq following the re-election of George W. Bush as President of the United States for a second term? A close reading of the joint press statement issued by India and the European Union at their fifth summit on November 8 suggests that the new "position" is a departure from the past.

"We welcome the restoration of full sovereignty to Iraq and the unanimous adoption of UNSCR [United Nations' Security Council Resolution] 1546, which underlines the support of the international community to the Interim Government of Iraq as it guides the country towards elections," the text issued at The Hague said.

On June 9, a day after Resolution 1546 was passed, the External Affairs Ministry spokesman had this to say: "We welcome the unanimous adoption by the Security Council of the Resolution on Iraq. The role of the U.N. has also been unanimously accepted and we expect that the U.N. will play a central role in the developing situation in Iraq."

"We see the endorsement of the Interim Government of Iraq as the first step towards the transparent transfer of full sovereignty to the people of Iraq. The priority now should be to ensure an early return to conditions of security and normalcy for all the people of Iraq," the spokesman added.

Sovereignty

The Indian view that Resolution 1546 was but the "first step" towards the restoration of full sovereignty to the people of Iraq is missing from the November 8 joint press statement. In fact, the new position would suggest that "full sovereignty" had already been restored to Iraq.

The "first step" position was reiterated when the External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh, spoke at the Jamia Millia Islamia on October 10. "Our policy towards developments in Iraq is based on principles and our national interest. We want the Iraqi people to freely determine their political future and exercise control over their natural resources. It is our belief that the U.N. has a crucial role to play in the process of political and economic reconstruction of Iraq."

"It is in this spirit, that we welcomed the unanimous adoption by the Security Council, on June 8, 2004, of Resolution 1546. We see U.N. endorsement of the Interim Government of Iraq as the first step towards the transparent transfer of full sovereignty to the people of Iraq.

"The priority now should be to ensure an early return to conditions of security and normalcy for all the people of Iraq. A stable and peaceful Iraq is vital for the larger stability of the region, which is home for about 3.5 million Indians, the source of our energy requirements and an important destination for our goods and services," he said.

U.N. role

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, said: "The situation in Iraq causes us great concern. The United Nations has a central role to play in erasing the discord of the recent past and in ensuring that the Iraqi people can soon exercise effective sovereignty, preserving the country's unity and territorial integrity." Dr. Singh hoped that the people of Iraq could "soon" exercise "effective sovereignty," but the November 8 statement makes it plain that India, along with the European Union, welcomed the restoration of "full sovereignty" to Iraq.

Also, in the November 8 statement, India, perhaps, for the first time, expressed concern at the current campaign of "terrorist violence" in Iraq leading to significant loss of lives, particularly among civilians. "We agree to continue our support to the emergence of a stable, secure, representative and democratic Iraq and to work together in the multilateral effort for Iraq's reconstruction for restoring peace and prosperity," the joint statement added.

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