Don’t Send Troops To Iraq

Date: 
Sunday, May 25, 2003

Press Statement

Leaders of Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party and Forward Bloc have issued the following statement:

Don’t Send Troops To Iraq

The Vajpayee government is considering a request made by the US administration to send a contingent of Indian troops to Iraq to assist its occupation regime there.

It seems, the government was waiting for the UN Security Council resolution on Iraq, to take a final decision in the matter. The UN resolution has recognized the US as the occupying authority. There is no UN-sponsored administration in Iraq. Further, there will be no UN peace-keeping force. The US military will continue as the occupying force and any troops sent there will work under the US command.

It is also clear that in the name of a “stabilization force”, the US wants troops from allied countries to share the burden of pacifying Iraq and to quell any opposition to its illegal occupation.

Sending of troops to serve the needs of the US occupation will be totally against the all parties stand reflected in the statement adopted in the last session of Parliament. The statement deplored US-British military action, called for the withdrawal of their military forces and for handing over the interim administration to the UN.

There should be no involvement at the military level with the occupation regime in Iraq. The Vajpayee government should not send Indian troops contrary to the resolution of Parliament. It will be in flagrant violation of the wishes of the Indian people.

Harkishan Singh Surjeet (CPI-M)

A. B. Bardhan (CPI)

Debabrata Biswas (Forward Bloc)
Abani Roy (RSP)