New York, Sept 23: Iraq is the flavour of the season at this year's United Nations General Assembly. American military presence in Saddam Hussein's country continues to be hotly debated here even as UN Secretary General Kofi Anan prepares for a soul-searching address on September 23. The overarching question over this year's session is the relevance and effectiveness of the UN post-Iraq, a question to which India, too, is seeking answers.
The main issue staring India in the face is over deployment of troops to Iraq. Briefing the media on the forthcoming session, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Vijay Nambiar said first India would like to see the request coming from the Iraqis themselves as per their requirements, not as per the requirements of the occupying forces. Two, there should be an explicit UN mandate to the effect which would address concerns within India. Three, any UN mandate should move towards the establishment of a credible political process in Iraq that would differentiate it from the current situation. Any multinational force in Iraq must be in the context of a political process, which will restore the sovereignty of the Iraqi people, Mr Nambiar said. India would ideally like to see a clear difference between the current force and a multinational effort to walk Iraq back to political normalcy.


With India making it more than apparent that its troops can take off for Iraq only under a clear UN mandate, the United States is displaying signs of being understanding on the issue. In an interview to India Abroad on September 9, US President George Bush said, "I would love to have Indian troops but he (Vajpayee) has a problem with it. He has an election coming up and I understand his problem. That, however, will not deter Mr Bush from raising the question when he meets Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on September 24. "I am going to talk to him about it when we meet in New York," Mr Bush told the weekly. Mr Nambiar said although India was not part of the detailed drafting on a new US-moved Resolution at the UN Security Council, it had certain concerns if a request for troops is made. With a general political consensus back home on the issue of facilitating a smooth and early return of a legitimate political process in Iraq, India is keenly awaiting a clear and unambiguous UNSC formulation.

Mr Nambiar admitted that this year's atmosphere at the UNGA is different from last year's when the international community gathered here for the first anniversary of the 9/11 terror attack, the world united with the US in its hour of deepest grief. This year there has been a whole new range of events, political and otherwise, which have overhung the immediate atmosphere of the UNGA, the PR said.
The war in Iraq and the August 19 bombing of the UN office in Baghdad have affected the entire self-perception of the organisation, Mr Nambiar said. By the time Mr Vajpayee addresses the General Assembly in the forenoon of September 25, UN Secretary General Kofi Anan will have already posed certain existential questions to the 191-member body. Post-Iraq, as member countries ponder the relevance of the world body, the United Nations will be urged to embark on a quest for greater degree of effectiveness while retaining its legitimacy.
Although India does not expect a dramatic initiative to emerge from the 58th session, Mr Vajpayee is likely to underline the continued salience of the fight against terrorism, Mr Nambiar said. The Prime Minister is expected to urge the international community for a greater degree of cooperation in addressing the challenge of terrorism. In this regard, India will continue pushing for a Comprehensive Convention against international terrorism. Consensus on a Convention on terrorism however remains elusive. Of the 27 Articles in the draft, two are of a contentious nature. One is on the definition of terror and the other is regarding movements of national liberation. It is felt that an international conference like the UNGA should make full use of the progress already made in seeing the long-delayed Convention through. Apart from terrorism, Mr Vajpayee is also expected to touch upon the subject of the future of multilateralism. With Iraq proving a huge burden on the UN conscience, individual areas of threats to world peace and security and its impact on multilateralism will find mention in the PM's address.