Kolkata: West Bengal's ruling Left Front chairman and CPM (Communist party Marxist) politburo member Biman Bose today (Aug 7, 2004) said that there should be no strategic military co-operation between India and United States, in the interest of the country's security and secrecy.

Citing recent instances of joint military exercises between India and USA, Bose told reporters, "It does not help in enhancing our country's security." Some of the agreements, he claimed in respect of military strategy between the two countries during the previous BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) regime 'compromised' with India's military secrets. He did not elaborate.

Bose said, "India should also stop the policy of appeasement of the USA and should adopt an independent non-aligned foreign policy."

He said in an effort to forge broad based unity among Left parties in West Bengal to campaign against war and demand withdrawal of US and allied forces from Iraq, it was decided at a meeting during the day to take out a massive procession in the metropolis on September one.

Besides the constituents of the nine-party front including CPM, CPI (Communist Party of India), RSP (Revolutionary Socialist Party) and Forward Bloc, five other parties outside the coalition attended the meeting.

The five were Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), CPI (ML- Liberation), Communist Revolutionary League of India, CPI (ML) and CPI (ML-PCC).