Rocca visits India with Iraq in mind

Other subjects of mutual concern would also come up for discussion, an American Embassy Spokesman said on Wednesday.

Rocca begins her engagements with a meeting with Joint Secretary in External Affairs Ministry (Incharge of Pakistan Affairs) Arun Singh, which would be followed by interactions with Jayant Prasad (territorial head of America and other countries in the region). She will also call Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal.

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Rocca's visit takes place at a time, when the fate of the US draft resolution on Iraq at the UN is still uncertain amid indications that New Delhi is not inclined to send its troops to the war-ravaged country, under the present circumstances.

"This is the latest of the series of meetings between officials of the two countries growing out of the 2001 agreement between President Bush and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to hold regular senior level consultations," the Spokesman said.

Observing that Rocca was in India for such a dialogue in September last year, he said on this trip, she had no plans of visiting any other country in South Asia.

Asked whether Rocca would press India to send troops to Iraq to participate in the stabilisation force, the Spokesman said "that is not the objective of the visit". He, however, added that the Iraq situation is expected to figure in the parleys.

France and Germany have sought significant changes in the US draft resolution seeking establishment of a multinational force under American control in Iraq as the UN Security Council began discussions on it.

Apart from the two countries, India and Syria, besides Turkey -- the only Arab member of the 15-member Council -- demand much greater role for the UN than envisaged in the American proposal even as Britain, Spain and Mexico support the resolution.

India's official stand has been that it could consider sending troops to Iraq if there was an explicit UN mandate.

A variety of factors have contributed to government's unwillingness to make such a move at this juncture. One is casualties of Indian soldiers having political repercussions on the upcoming assembly elections.

Another aspect weighing in the minds of the Vajpayee government is the political mileage that the Opposition, which has been accusing it of bowing to the US pressure, would seek to derive from such a step.