New Delhi: Observing that India would like to see Iraq's return to normalcy "as quickly as possible", External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha today (Feb 10, 2004) said there was need to make the war-ravaged country a "responsible member" of the international community.

"India remains committed to the reconstruction of Iraq," Sinha said addressing a batch of 14 Iraqi diplomats who are in New Delhi for a two-month training.

Describing as "unfortunate" what the Iraqi people have undergone, he said, "What is needed is to make Iraq a responsible member of the international community as anyone else and it should be possible considering the resources Iraq has."

"India has the friendliest of relations with the people of Iraq," he said, stressing that "diplomats have a very important role to play".

He said India would do whatever it was called upon to do by the international community and the administration in Iraq. "We would like to see Iraq's return to normalcy as quickly as possible."

Sinha said, "We in India are proud that after independence, we have built one of the finest foreign services in the world" and added that it was willing to share its professional expertise in this regard.

The eight-week special course is aimed at helping the Iraqi diplomats have a better understanding of international, political and economic issues. It also involved imparting practical skills to pursue foreign service like conference management, protocol and diplomatic communication besides economic diplomacy.