July 24, 2003	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 23, 1424

NEW DELHI, July 23: India may reconsider sending troops to Iraq as part of a stabilization force after new assurances from the United States, it was reported on Wednesday.

The US has assured India it would seek a fresh and broader mandate on Iraq from the United Nations Security Council, which would take into consideration India’s concerns, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed the possibility of a new UN resolution with India’s External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha during a 25-minute telephone conversation late Monday, the Indian Express newspaper reported.

Sinha told parliament Wednesday the Indian government was not being pressured by the US He said the government would only consider deployment under “an explicit U.N. mandate”.

A senior government official told the Hindustan Times, “India will be positively inclined to contribute troops if there is a U.N. resolution or appeal. We want to work in the interest of the people of Iraq.”

India had suggested an international force along the lines of the one in Afghanistan, the report said.

Last week, India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) decided to turn down a US request to deploy 17,000 troops in Iraq. —dpa