NEW DELHE: India has consistently advocated at the United Nations security Council casing of sanctions against Iraq which would enable imports of food, medicines and other essential commodities into that country on humanitarian grounds.
External Affairs minister Madhavsinh Solanki told the Rajya Sabha (Upper house of Parliament) during the question hour Monday that as a result of India’s efforts Iraq had been allowed to sell oil so that it could buy food and medicine.
He said some of the western countries, particularly USA, U K and France, were not in favour of making any major changes in the sanctions against Iraq.
Solanki said there was no question of any pressure from America or anybody on India. On the contrary “we are putting pressure on the security council to ease sanctions’.
Referring to anxiety expressed by members that more than 20,000 children had died owing to lack of proper treatment, Solanki said an international committee of the Red Cross had confirmed that there was acute shortage of medicine.
Solanki said India had des- patched 6,284 tons of supplies including rice, flour, milk powder and biscuit to Iraq.
Replying to a supplementary, the minister said “our sympathies are always with the people of Iraq” and efforts would continue to help them on humanitarian ground.
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