The Hindu : Troops issue: NCP seeks all-party meet

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 04, 2003

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Troops issue: NCP seeks all-party meet

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI July 3. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has opposed the deployment of Indian troops to Iraq, and demanded an all-party meet on the issue. In a statement, the party said the deployment would mean a contradiction of the declared Indian position of opposing the U.S. action in Iraq. "It would also mean exposing the troops to causalities and sniper attacks by hostile Iraqis." However, the party would support the deployment if it was done under the aegis of the United Nations. The Government should take the nation into confidence about its dealings with the United States.

"The Government should make public the commitments made to the U.S. Details of interaction with top U.S. officials should be shared with leaders of all political parties'' the statement said.

The party also expressed astonishment over the "undue and unnecessary'' intervention of the PMO in the CAS issue. "This gives credence to allegations that the whole exercise of implementing CAS has been influenced by omissions and commissions of the PMO and the BJP'' said the party general secretary, Tariq Anwar. The party opposes the implementation of CAS on the grounds that it means "paying more and receiving less''.

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