NEW DELHI, Jan 31: In an effort to break out of a sub-continental foreign policy focus, Prime Minister I K Gujral yesterday took the unprecedented step of writing to US president Bill Clinton and leaders of Russia, UK, China and France, urging them to show restraint on contemplated military action against Iraq.Addressing a United Front rally in Calcutta today, Gujral said another war over Iraq would severely damage India's ``vital interests'' in the region. Iraq or ``any other nation, big or small,'' the Prime Minister added, ``had its right to self-defence.''A release from the Ministry of External Affairs added that Gujral also ``expressed India's readiness to contribute'' towards bringing about a peaceful solution through diplomatic negotiations.''The Prime Minister's strong comments constitute a significant shift in India's policy over the Iraq crisis, which in recent months has been dominated by moderate, low-key remarks that have been described by some as ``sitting on the fence.''Theseobservers say Gujral's early reluctance may have stemmed from his own memories of the warm bear hug between himself and Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in the pre-Gulf War days in 1990, a move that later backfired when the western coalition won the Gulf War against Iraq.Today's hawkish tone is not only a result of the concern stemming from the ``imminent'' US military strike against Baghdad. Some analysts say it is an attempt to deflect attention from Clinton's own domestic troubles, but also comes as Gujral himself gets ready to go into another election.Ministry sources denied that the Prime Minister's remarks are a reflection of the absence of real progress made in the bilateral strategic dialogue with the US. ``It's time that there were other voices which restrain the US juggernaut,'' they said.Nevertheless, Gujral's letter to Clinton, while talking about the camaraderie being established through the dialogue, calls upon him to show a ``restrained and statesman-like approach.''The majordifference in the letters to the other leaders of the permanent five members to the Security Council is the sense of ``historical linkages'' that Gujral has sought to impress upon these nations. Britain, France, China and Russia, it is argued, have old ties with the Middle East, while the US has only recently forged relations.The official release also referred to the need for ``peace and stability in this area, which is a part of India's neighbourhood,.and any disruption in this regard would adversely affect our economy and national welfare.''Sources pointed out that as many as 2.5 million Indians still living in the Gulf.Moreover, the cost of rehabilitating 200,000 people from the Middle East after the Gulf War had cost the exchequer such a large sum of money that it set the five-year plan back a couple of years.
