New York, Sept 13: In the face of US threats to attack Iraq, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said Baghdad should be free to choose its own leaders. Vajpayee, during an interaction with Jewish leaders here Thursday, in an apparent balancing act also said Iraq must submit to the international community's demand for allowing return of the UN weapons officials for inspection.
Bush said at the UN General Assembly here Thursday that US action is "unavoidable" if Baghdad refused to comply with UN resolutions to disarm the Arab state of weapons of mass destruction.
Briefing reporters on the meeting, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Nirupama Rao said that if there are weapons of mass destruction in that region, they should not be there and Iraq should listen to the international demands for the return of the inspectors. Vajpayee mentioned to the Jewish leaders that India has a large community in the Gulf region--three or four million Indians. Therefore, India is concerned about the evolution of the situation pertaining to Iraq. Bureau Report