New Delhi: Amidst reports that India may not despatch its troops to Iraq, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meets in New Delhi on July 14 and is expected to take a final view on the US request for stationing of Indian soldiers in the war-ravaged country.

The crucial CCS meeting comes in the backdrop of New Delhi conveying to Washington that an interim Iraqi authority needed to be in place in Baghdad quickly to provide legitimacy to any stabilisation force there.

The CCS meeting, to be presided over by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and attended by his Deputy L K Advani and four other members of the top security body, is expected to consider all aspects, including the prevailing volatile ground situation in Iraq.

Besides Vajpayee and Advani, other CCS members are Defence Minister George Fernandes, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman K C Pant.

India's view on an interim Iraqi authority was conveyed both here and in Washington after the US sought an early decision from India on the issue, sources said.

Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal, who recently met senior American officials in Washington, had said that there were some "grey areas" in UN Security Council resolution 1483 on Iraq.

The American request for Indian troop presence in Iraq was conveyed to Advani during his visit to US last month.

Thereafter, India had sought clarifications from a Pentagon team, which visited India, regarding command and control and ground situation in the war-torn country.

The US was informed that constitution of the interim Iraqi authority in terms of the UNSC (United nations Security Council) resolution should be done "as quickly as possible".

Outgoing US Ambassador Robert Blackwill was informed about the Indian position during a meeting he had with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on July 10, the sources said.

In an interview to PTI last week, the External Affairs Minister had stressed that a new Constitution for Iraq, formation of a representative government and return of sovereignty of the Iraqi people should not be postponed indefinitely.

Sinha had said a decision on despatch of Indian troops would be taken keeping in mind the "best national interest" and "best interest" of the Iraqi people.

The Minister had also made it clear that India did not consider as a "key factor" spin-offs of troops deployment in Iraq in the form of a slice in reconstruction work in the war-ravaged country and that only a "very small" percentage of its oil supplies came from there.

PTI