Tashkent: India firmly supports peaceful settlement of the Iraq crisis and opposes
war against any country, Defence Minister George Fernandes said on March 1.
"India is strongly committed to a peaceful policy and it opposes the plans of a war
against Iraq or any other nation," Fernandes told reporters at the end of his
Uzbekistan visit.
Hailing India's close ties with Uzbekistan, the Defence Minister earlier said the
two countries also support an independent Afghanistan.
"The Afghan territory under the Taleban was used actively to perpetrate terrorist
outrages against Uzbekistan and India," he said in a statement after meeting Uzbek
President Islam Karimov and other top officials on February 28.
The two sides also discussed expanding their ties in various fields, including
Defence.
Fernandes, who visited an aircraft factory during the visit, said the first of six
Il-78 refuelling aircraft India has ordered for its Air Force have been received and
the rest will be delivered by the end of the year.
PTI
