|
Terrorists wanted to stir
trouble between India, Pakistan: Rice
By Arun Kumar
Washington,
Dec 10 (IANS) The first goal of Mumbai terror attackers was
probably to stir up trouble between Pakistan and India because
terrorists are undoubtedly unnerved by their increasingly
good relations, according to US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice.
"These
terrorists are undoubtedly unnerved by the increasingly good
relations between Pakistan and India, really going back before
the civilian government" but certainly since President
Asif Ali Zardari came into power, she said in an interview
on CBS News Radio.
"In
fact, the Pakistani foreign minister was actually in India
for a strategic dialogue when this attack took place,"
she noted.
"And
so clearly, those who want to disrupt good relations between
India and Pakistan were at root," Rice said when asked
if the terrorists who attacked Mumbai were trying to change
what Pakistan does on a military level in the fight against
the Taliban.
"It
has the side benefit, of course, of making certain that Pakistan
remains focused on the old conflict with India and Pakistan,
which I believe can be resolved effectively between the parties,
rather than on the real threat to Pakistan and Pakistan's
neighbours, which is the terrorist threat," she added.
Asked
if US analysts think that the Mumbai terrorist strike was,
in part, to take pressure off Al Qaida, Rice said: "Well,
I don't know. We know that bad people tend to travel in the
same circles."
"Nobody
is making a claim here that Al Qaida is responsible for these
attacks or that perhaps they were even involved in them in
any way, but ties between these kinds of groups are pretty
common," she said.
"But
clearly, if Pakistan cannot focus on what is the real threat
to Pakistan, which is the terrorist threat, and remains focused
on a state-to-state threat that is beginning to subside, then
it benefits the terrorists," Rice said.
The
top US diplomat believed that "the Pakistani Government
understands that, the Pakistani military understands that.
And this is a very important moment for Pakistan to respond,
and that's why we're gratified that clearly some response
has been made."
Rice
said in the follow-up to the events in Mumbai, the US "focused
very closely, very heavily, when I was in the region on the
need for Pakistan to act. These non-state actors clearly used
Pakistani territory, and Pakistan therefore had a responsibility
to act."
She
said she had also made it clear to the new Pakistani government
"that we understood that this was a civilian government
in Pakistan, a new civilian government that wants to do the
right thing. And in fact, I believe they've begun to do some
of the right things."
Rice
said US was still gathering reports about action taken by
Pakistan. "We 're not yet able to confirm a lot of what
we are reading about arrests and about action against the
camps, but these are serious steps, and we are pleased at
what appears to be a serious set of steps."
Pakistan,
she stressed "is doing this in its own interest as well,
because Pakistan has suffered greatly from terrorism. And
of course, President Zardari lost his great wife, Benazir
Bhutto (former premier), to the terrorists."
Indo-Asian
News Service
Prabuddha
Bharata>>>
Vedanta
Kesari>>>
Vedanta
Mass Media>>>
|
