New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on June 5 wrote a letter to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee strongly opposing any move to deploy Indian troops in Iraq other than under the UN aegis saying it would be violation of the fundamental principle of the country.

"I am writing to express the deep concern of the Congress party over reports that Indian troops are to be deployed in Iraq. The party would be totally opposed to the deployment of our troops under any arrangement other than a UN Command or as part of a multi-national peace keeping force that has the explicit mandate of the UN," she said.

Gandhi said she would appreciate a clarification on the exact position of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government as various statements in the media have not helped to "shed any light" on the government's stand.

PTI