What We Mean When We Say That

As it happened, the crisis was needless. A spokesman of the external affairs ministry in New Delhi had declared just a day earlier: "We see the endorsement of the interim government in Iraq as the first step towards the transparent transfer of full sovereignty to the people of Iraq." Asked specifically what the position on the question of sending troops to Iraq was, the spokesman said categorically that the issue would arise only "if and when a request comes from the UN or from a fully sovereign government of Iraq." It was quite clear that the upa government thought the current resolution envisaged should by no stretch of imagination be construed as anything close to being even a halfway sovereign government.

Incidentally, Natwar Singh made it clear soon after assuming office that "nobody has asked us (for troops)" and that the question (of sending troops) does not arise. In fact, the minister had made it clear to Outlook in one of his very first interviews that there were at least three conditions that needed to be fulfilled before even thinking of sending troops to Iraq: there had to be national consensus, that troops could be sent only under a UN mandate and, lastly, "it should be asked by the duly elected government of Iraq".