Defense Minister George Fernandes told local media, "This unilateralism can have great consequences in times to come."

"Who will have to face what, time will tell," he replied when asked if the current unilateralism being displayed in Iraq could have its consequences on other situations like that prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir.

Declaring that the very talk of post-war reconstruction of Iraqmade him "sick rather than enthused," Fernandes said that India has taken a decision to provide relief and rehabilitation to the people of Iraq in whatever way it could.

Asked if India has been invited by the Washington and London to participate in post-war rehabilitation of Iraq, the defense minister said, "Personally I have a sick feeling. This smacks of cynicism of the worst type."

"You go and bomb -- blow up the whole place and in the process kill several hundred, mostly civilians, in the war -- a war which does not have the sanction of the UN is waged and just about every facility and infrastructure is destroyed. And then people start talking of reconstruction and rebuilding," he said.

Echoing similar sentiments, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha on Monday night rejected any policy of a powerful state to undertake a regime change in another country, saying "there should be no double standards in the world. No one country should be allowed to do what it wants."

(Xinhua News Agency April 1, 2003)