India suggested on Saturday that the reconstruction of post-war Iraq should be under United Nations' supervision, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
Welcoming Russia's stand on rebuilding the war-ravaged west Asian country under the aegis of the United Nations, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha was quoted as saying that India strongly favors reconstruction efforts to be undertaken under the guidance of the UN.
According to PTI, Sinha said that India's relations with Iraq were the best among Gulf nations, adding shared commitment of the two countries to secularism provided sound basis for the relations.
Meanwhile, the minister maintained that despite its strong opposition to the war against Iraq led by the United States, New Delhi's relations with Washington had not worsened, noting the course of Indo-US relations could not be determined by any single issue.
Earlier, Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes accused the United States of constantly changing its position on why it waged war on Iraq, saying that Washington's contention that Baghdad possessed weapons of mass destruction had been proved wrong.
(Xinhua News Agency April 13, 2003)
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