New Delhi, July 13: Amidst reports that India may not despatch its troops to Iraq, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meets here tomorrow and is expected to take a final view on the US request for stationing of Indian soldiers in the war-ravaged country. The crucial CCS meeting comes in the backdrop of New Delhi conveying to Washington that an interim Iraqi authority needed to be in place in Baghdad quickly to provide legitimacy to any stabilisation force there.


The CCS meeting, to be presided over by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and attended by his deputy L K Advani and four other members of the top security body, is expected to consider all aspects, including the prevailing volatile ground situation in Iraq.

Besides Vajpayee and Advani, other CCS members are defence minister George Fernandes, external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha, finance minister Jaswant Singh and planning commission deputy chairman K C Pant.

India's view on an interim Iraqi authority was conveyed both here and in Washington after the US sought an early decision from India on the issue, sources said.

Foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal, who recently met senior American officials in Washington, had said that there were some "grey areas" in UN Security Council Resolution 1483 on Iraq.
Bureau Report