Friday, December 2 2005 15:26 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Government today (Dec 2, 2005) insisted that the Volcker Committee had not named the Congress party in its report on pay-offs in Iraq's Oil-For-Food Programme but maintained that a debate would be held on the issue in Parliament after the Pathak Inquiry Authority submits its findings.

"The (Volcker) report says Congress, India. It does not say Indian National Congress," Minister of State for External Affairs Rao Inderjit Singh said here as the Opposition mounted its attack in the wake of new revelations in the matter.

On the interview by India's Ambassador to Croatia Anil Mathrani regarding involvement of Union Minister K Natwar Singh, Inderjit Singh said, "It does not in any way implicate the Congress."

He said Mathrani had made the comments in his personal capacity and added that Justice Pathak would weigh the evidence and Parliament would then debate it.