India welcomes Iraq resolution

Meanwhile, India’s reaction to the unanimous passage of the UN resolution on Iraq — amongst the first to do so — echoes a thank-you reply sent by Singh to a congratulatory note he received from his Iraqi counterpart Hoshiar Zebari on his assumption of office last week. Singh’s note, carried back by India’s ambassador to Iraq B.B. Tyagi, has no mention of any possible role that Indian troops could play in the new Iraq, just as today’s reaction omits that possibility.

MEA officials stressed that the issue of command and control, besides an invitation from the new Iraqi government or the UN, would remain a pre-condition for any consideration on the matter.

Instead, New Delhi endorsed the interim government of Iraq as the ‘‘first step towards the transparent transfer of full sovereignty to the people of Iraq. The priority should now be to ensure an early return to conditions of security and normalcy for all people of Iraq,’’ the statement said.

Officials pointed out that by stressing the process of transfer of sovereignty, New Delhi was making the ‘‘best of a bad job in Iraq.’’ In his letter to Zebari, Singh also spoke of New Delhi’s desire to play a role in Iraq’s economic and political reconstruction, a line that finds its place in today’s formal reaction to the Security Council resolution as well.

In it, New Delhi has focussed on the ‘‘unanimously accepted’’ role of the UN.