New Delhi, Apr 22: Major opposition parties today decided to ask the government to clarify its stand on Iraq and what steps it proposed to take to enhance the UN role and end unilateralism. At a meeting here, the parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, RJD and those from the left, decided to raise the issue in both houses of Parliament in the next few days in a bid to pin down the Vajpayee government on its stand on the role of the United States and Britain in the Iraq war.

CPI(M) leaders Nilotpal Basu and Rupchand Pal told reporters that the opposition parties also decided to raise the issues of "misuse" of Pota as well as the disinvestment of public sector oil companies - HPCL and BPCL.
The parties, which meet every week to finalise floor coordination among themselves in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, would seek a discussion on delimitation of constituencies too.
On the Iraq issue, the two leaders said they would ask the government whether any interaction had taken place with world leaders on the reconstruction of the war-ravaged nation, barring US Secretary of State Colin Powell.
"Parliament unanimously supported the resolution on Iraq which spoke among other things on the UN role. But now it seems discussion is on about how to share the spoils of war and the vast oil reserves," Basu said.
On the Pota issue, Pal said that the law was being used for "political vendetta" as had been reflected in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. "We want to know whether Centre has taken a position on the matter," he said.
Pal said that despite assurance in parliament that HPCL and BPCL would not be disinvested, "certain moves" were being made in that direction and demanded that government clarify the position in the matter.

Bureau Report