Kolkata: India today (June 14, 2004) ruled out a re-think on its stand on sending troops to Iraq unless the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution to this effect.

"If the UN Security Council adopts a resolution, India will agree to it since the country is a signatory to the UN charter," Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told newsmen when asked if India would re-think its stand on sending troops to Iraq.

Mukherjee said that there was a resolution in Parliament that India would consider if the UN endorsed a proposal of sending troops to Iraq.

Mukherjee said that it was unilateral military action on the part of USA and Britain in Iraq.

"We are sending humanitarian assistance for the people of war-ravaged Iraq. A resolution had been taken in Parliament earlier and the Communist parties had supported it," he said.

Asked what plan he had to bring transparency in Defence procurement, Mukherjee replied, "We are for sound institutional arrangement in Defence procurement so that everything is transparent."

To another question that his party was critical of the NDA Government for increasing the Defence budget, Mukherjee, a senior Congress leader, said, "We had never said so. The resources allocated in Defence was not utilised properly. In our case, we have a programme so that the amount is spent for modernisation and strengthening the armed forces."