Bangalore, May 26: Senior Congress leader K Natwar Singh today said that India should engage in dialogue with the United States on issues of concern, instead of adopting a confrontationist posture. "Iraq is behind us. We should try and engage the US rather than being confrontationist. This is realistic," Singh said at the inauguration of a two-day international conference on "World Situation after Iraq war", organised here jointly by the Centre for Social Justice and Schiller Institute. He said efforts by the government should be to engage in talks with the US and try to explain the strengths of multilaterlism and reduce unilateralism in the world. Singh, the chairman of Congress Foreign Affairs Committee, said India should join hands with Russia, China and France among other countries to convince the US that the problems of the world cannot be solved by a single super power and it was more "complex". He said the world did not need "Pax Americana", but "Pax Planetica" to resolve the complex issues.

Calling for strengthening of the United Nations, Singh said the UN Security Council should be strengthened and more countries should be invited into the permanent members fold.

He said India could play a central role in providing the healing touch to the world in the post-Iraq scenario.

Singh said the Parliament's decision to unanimously condemn the war on Iraq was justified because it represented the wishes of the people.

Bureau Report