Thursday, December 1 2005 20:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh had led a four-member delegation that included former Maharashtra Chief Minister A R Antulay to Iraq in January, 2001 and during that period his son, Jagat Singh was also in Baghdad, the Rajya Sabha was informed today (Dec 1, 2005).

Singh was relieved of the External Affairs portfolio in the wake of the Volcker Committee report, which named him and Congress party as beneficiaries in the pay offs in Iraqi oil deals during the Sadam Hussein regime in 2001.

"A four-member delegation from the Congress party led by Natwar Singh and consisting of A R Antulay, former CM of Maharashtra, Shiv Shankar, former External Affairs Minister and Anil Methrani, Secretary of the party's Foreign Affairs Cell, called on Tariq Aziz (Iraqi Minister)," Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

"Jagat Singh, son of Natwar Singh and Subodh Kant Sahai, former Minister of State for Home, also visited during this period," Ahamed said.

He was responding to a question by S S Ahluwalia, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), seeking details of persons constituting ministerial as well as non-ministerial delegations from India visiting Iraq since 1990 and names of those who called on Saddam Hussein and Tariz Aziz.

Ram Naik, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government, accompanied by an official delegation had visited Iraq from July five to seven, 2002 to attend the 14th session of Indo-Iraqi Joint Commission.