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Wednesday, Nov 16, 2005

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National

Government urged to reverse stand on Iran

Special Correspondent

"It is not too late to come out of the trap"

CHENNAI: India's vote against Iran at the meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on September 24 was sharply criticised at a meeting here on Tuesday.

Addressing a meeting held by the Indian School of Social Sciences and the All-India Insurance Employees Association, N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu , urged the United Progressive Alliance Government to reverse its stand on the issue at the next IAEA meeting slated for November 24.

India's vote against Iran at the IAEA meeting and related developments indicated that the UPA Government had walked into a trap and it did not know how to get out of it.

"Unless we help the Government and force it, if necessary, to come out of the trap by taking intelligent steps, the trap will ruin India's independent foreign policy. Even now it is not too late, and the game has not been lost yet," he said.

India's stand on the issue had brought the country's foreign policy issues to the fore, Mr. Ram said, adding that not only the Left but several independent experts had dubbed it a "betrayal of the independent and non-aligned foreign policy the Government professed to pursue."

No discussion

The Government had taken the stand at the IAEA meeting without adopting a transparent approach. There was no discussion on the issue within the Government, let alone with the allies in the UPA or the parties supporting it from outside, he said.

Just as the UPA Government had wriggled out of certain commitments relating to domestic policies made in the National Common Minimum Programme, it had thrown out of the window its commitment to promoting multi-polarity in world relations and opposing all attempts at unilateralism. However, the Government had done reasonably well in promoting good neighbourly relations, Mr. Ram said.

The NCMP only spoke of closer relations with the United States and it did not refer to strategic relations with that country, which had now come to the fore, he pointed out.

The Congressional hearings also brought to light the "hidden conditions" imposed on India in the agreement with the U.S. on civilian nuclear cooperation, Mr. Ram said.

J. Gurumurthy, joint secretary of the association, presided.

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