AHMEDABAD, June 23: India will not decide to commit troops to Iraq before discussions with officials from the war-ravaged nation as well as neighbouring Turkey and Iran, Defence Minister George Fernandes said on Monday.

“Our diplomats are already in Baghdad to get feedback from the Iraqi people on how they would view deployment of Indian troops in their country and their expectations of India,” he said.

“We are also trying to know the opinion of Iraqi neighbours like Turkey and Iran on the matter.”

Mr Fernandes said it was a priority of India’s to not jeopardize its relations with Iraq.

“Iraq has always been us at every step and we have very deep relations with them,” he said.

India was still waiting for answers to questions it posed a visiting delegation of Pentagon officials last Monday about the US request that Indian troops join a peacekeeping force to maintain stability in the Middle Eastern nation.

The Congress Party has voiced misgivings about sending troops, and during a June 15 meeting with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said the troops should only be deployed under the United Nations flag — not under US or British command.

Mr Vajpayee is due to have a second round of consultations with political parties on June 27 upon his return from a six-day visit to China.—AFP