STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER IN BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT
ON THE SITUATION RELATING TO IRAQ
Following is the
text of the Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s statement
in both Houses of Parliament on the situation relating to Iraq,
here today:-
"The situation relating
to Iraq has been rapidly evolving over the past few weeks. India
has consistently stood for a peaceful resolution of the Iraq issue.
The peace and prosperity of the Gulf is of vital interest to India
given our long standing political, cultural and economic ties
with the countries of the region. There are over 3.5 million Indians
working in the Gulf, whose welfare is of great concern to us.
Their remittances are an important source of foreign exchange
for the country. Over 60 percent of India’s crude oil imports
are sourced from the region. The Gulf countries have also emerged
as important destinations for our exports.
India recognizes
the validity of the unanimous decision of the UN Security Council
in its Resolution 1441, which provides for the disarmament of
Iraq and also reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Iraq, Kuwait and the neighbouring States. Resolution 1441 provides
a stringent regime of inspections designed to meet the international
community’s desire that Weapons of Mass Destruction are eliminated
from Iraq. We believe that Iraq must cooperate actively with the
inspection process and comply fully with all relevant Security
Council Resolutions. If the pace of this cooperation had been
quicker, it may have enabled UNMOVIC and IAEA to certify to the
UN Security Council that Iraq was in full compliance of Resolution
1441.
The work of the inspectors
is continuing in Iraq. The Security Council should decide on what
further action needs to be taken. The international community
must take a very careful look both at the objective of achieving
Iraq’s full compliance with UN resolutions and at the means to
be adopted to reach this goal. This can best be achieved by a
collective decision through the United Nations. If permitting
more time and formulation of clearer criteria can facilitate a
decision within the UN framework, we believe this option should
be given a chance. We hope that the members of the Security Council
will harmonise their positions to ensure that its final decision
enhances the legitimacy and credibility of the United Nations.
If unilateralism prevails, the U.N. would be deeply scarred, with
disastrous consequences for the world order. The Government of
India would strongly urge that no military action be taken, which
does not have the collective concurrence of the international
community.
India has voiced
its concern on various occasions about the difficult humanitarian
situation in Iraq. The Iraqi people have suffered severe shortages
and hardships for over a decade. We have consistently stated that
if Iraq complies fully with the provisions of relevant Security
Council resolutions, then sanctions against that country should
be lifted.
While we sincerely
hope, in the interest of all humanity, that the matter can be
resolved peacefully through the United Nations, my Government
has drawn up contingency plans to deal with any eventuality. There
are less than 50 Indian nationals in Iraq at present and they
have all been advised to leave the country in the coming days.
It is unlikely that there would be any large scale dislocation
of the Indian communities in the neighbouring countries on a possible
outbreak of hostilities. Nevertheless the Ministry of Civil Aviation
has drawn up plans to evacuate Indians, if necessary. The Ministry
of Petroleum and Natural Gas has taken steps to shore up our inventories
of crude oil. While no major dislocation in crude oil imports
is envisaged, India has adequate foreign exchange reserves to
meet a higher crude oil import bill if prices continue to rise
in the short run".