No troops for Iraq

CPI(M) seeks UPA govt's reaffirmation NEW DELHI, June 11 (UNI) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today asked the Manmohan Singh government to clarify foreign minister Natwar Singh's "ambigious" remarks that the situation has changed in Iraq and impressed upon the centre to reaffirm that there is no question of sending Indian troops to bolster the American occupation.

"Mr Natwar Singh is reported to have said in Washington that the situation in Iraq has changed.

He has cited the latest UN Security Council resolution on the issue as another reason for re-examining the question of sending Indian troops to Iraq," the CPI(M) politburo said in a statement here.

Talking to reporters after his meeting with US secretary of state Colin Powell at the state depatment in Washington yesterday, Singh pointed out that a coalition was now in government in India, "So that matter will have to be decided by the government and the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)," when asked if India would consider despatching troops to Iraq under the UN umrella.

The left party said as far as the interim Iraqi government was concerned, it was handpicked by the US authorites.

In fact, the prime minister had himself admitted that he had a longstanding relationship with the CIA.

Besides, the people of Iraq had no say whatsoever in constituting the interim government, the CPI(M) said, adding that "it is nothing but a creature of the US occupation." The Security Council's resolution for the stationing of a mutinational force in Iraq till 2006 did not mean that there would be a UN peace-keeping force, the left party said.

The 1,38,00 US troops would continue to remain alongwith a small force of its allies as the "so-called multinational force." France, Germany, Russia and Canada have already announced that they would not send troops.