Washington, Sept 13: US today said it has not
received any official communication from India on its
inability to send troops to Iraq owing to its heavy commitment
in fighting terrorism in Kashmir.
Asked about reports that India might not be
contributing to the proposed multilateral force in Iraq, US
Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters on board his
plane enroute to Geneva that he had received no official word
from the Indian government in this regard.
"India would have to make its political decisions once
the UN resolution now being negotiated is in place," he said.
Powell said other countries, including Turkey, Pakistan
and Bangladesh, still could contribute to what is hoped to be
an extra 15,000 troops in Iraq from international sources.
Earlier, state department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli
said here there is no shortage of countries willing to send
troops to Iraq under a UN mandate.
"There are no shortages of countries that are
committed to that. There are already 30 on the ground doing
it right now, and we expect that there will be many, many
others joining the effort. It is an ongoing process. And
there are many, many ways to work out contributions for
those willing to do so."
The issue came up when a correspondent asked at the
briefing about a report that India will not be willing to
contribute troops to Iraq.
Bureau Report
