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Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
The visit by the United States Assistant Secretary for Non-proliferation, John Wolf, is aimed at consolidating the Indo-US strategic dialogue, a Ministry of External Affairs official said.
The official, who did not wish to be identified, told rediff.com that Wolf would be meeting top MEA officials during his September 23-24 visit.
He said the meetings are a follow-up of the discussions, which the US Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, recently had with the External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra.
Dr R R Subramaniam of the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses said, "Wolf is likely to gauge the Indian mindset on US's earlier proposal to punish Iraq for its defiance [Baghdad has now concurred] in disallowing United Nations weapons inspectors to enter Iraq to see whether it had weapons of mass destruction."
"Iraq now may have given its consent to allow the US arms inspectors to come, without conditions, but I believe the Americans are still bristling with resentment. They apparently still want to teach [Iraqi president] Saddam Hussein a lesson," he said.
India has said it will not support any attack by the US on Iraq on the issue of non-entry of the UN weapon inspectors, emphasising that instead all efforts must be made to amicably find a solution.
Asked to give New Delhi's reaction to Iraq's subsequent decision to allow the UN inspectors, MEA spokeswoman Nirupama Rao said, "India is vitally interested in the peace and prosperity of the Gulf and has therefore always supported efforts to defuse the crisis relating to Iraq. India, therefore, welcomes the decision of the Iraqi government to allow the UN inspectors to Iraq without conditions."
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