BANGALORE: Leaders of the nonaligned movement were making efforts to defuse the surcharged situation in the gulf and were hoping to bring an end to the war Chandra Shekhar said on Jan 18.
Replying to questions from reporters at the airport here shortly before emplaning for Delhi prime minister said he had spoken to Nepalese Prime Minister K P Bhattarai from Hassan (Karnataka) where he had addressed a public meeting earlier in the day. Chandra Shekhar said he was also in touch with other NAM leaders.
The prime minister said he had also written a letter to U S President George Bush about the situation in the gulf.
He expressed concern at Iraq’s attack on Israel. India would welcome a comprehensive peace plan on West Asia after the cessation of hostilities an external affairs ministry spokesman told newsmen.
The spokesman quoted external affairs minister V C Shukla as saying India was not for linking the Palestine issue with the present Gulf War it would greatly welcome a peace conference to solve the presetting thorn (Palestinian issue) once for all.
Shukla had told New Delhi based foreign correspondents that determined efforts had been made by India and other countries to allow diplomacy a little more time to work regrettably this had not happened.
Meanwhile Indias permanent representative in the United Nations C R Gharekhan said in an interview to local ethnic television network in New York Thursday night Jan 17 India would not join the U.S. led multinational force in the gulf as it was neither an U.N force nor a peacekeeping one. The distinction by India that the 28 country multinational force was neither an U.N force nor a peacekeeping force was important by observers here he added.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 25, 1991