The Hindu : National : ``Credibility of report going down''

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Thursday, Nov 10, 2005

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National

``Credibility of report going down''

"Gave up post in the interest of the party" "I do not want [the Volcker issue] to be the `focus' in the SAARC Summit "

Natwar Singh

NEW DELHI: Claiming that the "credibility" of the Volcker Committee report on Iraqi oil pay-offs was "going down by the day," Natwar Singh today said he gave up the External Affairs portfolio in the ``larger interest'' of the party and the country and did not want to be the "focus" in the SAARC Summit in Dhaka.

Reacting to Paul Volcker's comments in New York that he was not sure whether Natwar Singh was notified on the contents in his report on the oil-for-food programme scam, he welcomed the statement.

He told NDTV that from the beginning he had been wanting to know to which address he had sent the letter since Mr. Volcker had also said he did not know he (Mr. Singh) was the External Affairs Minister.

He was reacting to comments made by India's Permanent Representative to the U.N. Nirupam Sen after his meeting with Mr. Volcker that his impression was that Mr. Singh was not sent any notice on the finding against him.

The Minister without portfolio said he had given up External Affairs even without proof of allegations against him.

"I had to go to the SAARC summit. I was to leave tomorrow. The whole focus would have been on me and not on SAARC. I thought it was not correct," he said.

When he conveyed his decision to step down pending the inquiry, the Prime Minister was good enough to ask him whether he would like to remain as a Minister without portfolio to which he agreed. — PTI

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