Shimla: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said on February 21 that the Iraq issue should be settled in a peaceful manner through negotiations and if any action was required, it should be taken by the United Nations and not at the behest of one or two countries.

Asked whether in the event of war in Iraq India would provide refuelling facilities to US warplanes as was done by the Chandrashekhar government in 1990, Vajpayee said that such a situation would not arise. In case such a situation arises the government would decide its course of action at that time, he said at a press conference.

The Prime Minister said the passage of the bill to grant proxy voting right to Army jawans had met a long-standing demand of the Army personnel.

"It would have been better if the bill was passed unanimously, but some of the parties opposed it," he told a press conference in Shimla.

He said the parties, which opposed the bill would have to offer an explanation for their stand. "When a jawan could lay down his life for the country why can't we give him the right to vote," Vajpayee asked.

PTI