The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Well done

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Friday, Apr 25, 2008
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Well done

The Ministry of External Affairs has done well to reject the United States’ advice to India to talk tough with Iran and to bring pressure on it to suspend its uranium enrichment activities during President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit.

Considering that it was the Bush administration that initiated two ravaging wars during its tenure, its exhortation to India to ask Iran to become a “more responsible actor on the world stage” is akin to the kettle calling the pot black.

Nalini Vijayaraghavan,

Thiruvananthapuram

Given its record in Iraq over the weapons of mass destruction issue, the U.S. should be weary of misguided intelligence reports and leave it, as advised by Pranab Mukherjee, to the IAEA to determine the nature of Iran’s nuclear programme. If it has an issue with Iran, it should deal directly with the country and leave India free to discuss bilateral issues with its ancient neighbour.

Ushadevi Suddapalli & S.B. Rao,

Muscat

Washington’s advice to New Delhi to talk tough with Tehran is unwarranted interference in our ties with Iran. Mr. Mukherjee’s strong statement that it is not for the U.S. to judge Iran’s nuclear programme is appropriate.

V.K. Sathyavan Nair,

Kottayam

Whatever our nuclear energy needs, the U.S. or, for that matter, any other country, has no business to treat us as a weak and subordinate state. Washington’s attempt to dictate India’s relations with Iran, besides being against the principles of international law, exposes its real face. Even the IAEA should take exception to such attempts by the U.S.

Ved K. Guliani,

Bangalore

The U.S. should understand that India is capable of formulating its policies and upholding its ties with any country, including Iran. It can do without unlawful prying.

Waqar Usmani,

Aligarh

It is gratifying to see India, in an effort to salvage its reputation as a country only too willing to follow Washington’s diktats, mustering courage to snub the U.S., although belatedly, on the latter’s unsolicited counsel on Iran. It was India’s willingness to bend backwards in matters relating to Iran that emboldened Tom Casey to make the outrageous suggestion amounting to a brazen interference with our foreign policy and an attempt to set the agenda for President Ahmadinejad’s visit. It must be made clear to Washington both diplomatically and in action that India, as a sovereign nation, has the right to pursue its foreign policy and is not obliged to adopt one that, in Washington’s perception, is not consistent with its interest.

S.K. Choudhury,

Bangalore

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