"There is no quid pro quo at all," Sinha said in an interview to the Press Trust of India news agency when asked if India would send troops to Iraq to get a better deal on oil.

"Ever since sanctions were imposed on Iraq following the (1991) Kuwait-Iraq war, a very small percentage of our oil supplies have come from Iraq. Therefore, India is today not critically dependent on oil supplies from Iraq," he said.

"We will prefer Iraq to export oil, but as far as we are concerned it is not critically important to us."

Sinha said India had not decided whether to agree to the US request to send troops as part of a "stabilisation" force in Iraq.

"We have not yet taken any decision. The decision will be taken in the larger national interest and the interest of Iraqi people," he said.

"There is no pressure (from the US)," Sinha said. "Yes, there is a request but every request is not a pressure."

The Indian government has been consulting political parties about sending troops to Iraq amid strong opposition from some quarters.

Sinha said the government has sought clarifications from the United States on a host of issues discussed with a team of Pentagon officials who visited New Delhi last month.

"I wouldn't say that all the questions we had in our mind have been resolved. There are some issues which are still outstanding and these will be factors in the decision making," he said.

"The decision that India will take will be in our best interest and in the best interest of the Iraqi people," Sinha added.

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