Brussels, Oct 29: Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha has ruled out sending troops to Iraq and called for a clear timetable to return sovereignty to Iraqis in the aftermath of this week's series of deadly bombings.Brussels, Oct 29: Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha has ruled out sending troops to Iraq and called for a clear timetable to return sovereignty to Iraqis in the aftermath of this week's series of deadly bombings. India on July 14 had rejected a US request to send 15,000 to 20,000 troops to Iraq but said it would reconsider if there were an explicit UN mandate.
Asked whether the United States had made any fresh approaches for India to dispatch troops to Iraq, Sinha, on a visit to Brussels for talks with EU leaders, said, "No. I think that chapter is closed." Sinha welcomed the UN Security Council's recent unanimous adoption of Resolution 1511, which charts a way forward for Iraq through the adoption of a new constitution and an eventual handover of power from the US-led occupation.
But he said that "a time-frame has not been fixed" by the resolution for power to return to Iraqis. "We have said from time to time that what is needed is a return to sovereignty for the Iraqi people. The feeling that Iraq has been liberated for Iraqis is very important to establish," Sinha said.
"In the meanwhile the violence that is erupting in Iraq is unfortunate. Violence has to be brought to an end, and we have to move towards the establishment" of an Iraqi government, he said. Bureau Report