New Delhi: India would commit troops to peacekeeping missions only under the United Nations banner and not under command of forces of any other country or groups of countries, Lieutenant General S S Chahal said a day after the Security Council adopted a US-sponsored resolution for a multinational force under US command in war-ravaged Iraq.

For any chance of success in a peacekeeping mission, a "UN mandate was a must", Chahal, commandant of the National Defence College said. He was addressing a meeting of military delegations from 18 countries assembled in New Delhi for seventh Asian Regional Forum meeting, which recommended that for UN missions clearer rules of engagement and exit needs to be formulated.

Meeting for the first time on the Indian soil, military delegates from 10 ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) countries and its eight dialogue partners, including China, US, Australia, New Zealand and India, stressed that while framing rules of engagement for peacekeeping missions minimum use of force, impartiality, interoperatibility, respect for human rights and international legitimacy and support should be worked out before deployment of troops.

While spelling out that broadening composition of forces in Iraq had not figured specifically at the three- day meeting, Chahal, summing up the deliberations, told reporters that it was unanimously agreed that all peacekeeping operations should be undertaken only under the UN banner.

Delegates from South Korean and Malaysian armed forces said they already had study and research into peacekeeping roles in their defence universities.

PTI