By DPA,
Washington : US President George W. Bush telephoned Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari Wednesday in an attempt to ease tensions following the November terrorist attack in Mumbai.
Bush urged both sides to cooperate in fighting terrorism and called on Zardari to do the same in helping India investigate the Nov 26 attacks that left more than 170 people dead.
“All three leaders … agreed that no one wanted to take any steps that unnecessarily raise tensions,” Gordon Johndroe, a White House spokesman, told reporters in Crawford, Texas, where Bush is vacationing.
India has blamed the Mumbai attacks on militants based in Pakistan and both nuclear powers have placed their armed forces on alert, prompting worries of a military conflict between the two adversaries.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Pakistan’s own probe had linked militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) with 10 fighters with the Mumbai attacks.
An unamed Pakistani security official told the newspaper that at least one top LeT commander, Zarar Shah, has admitted to a role in Mumbai during interrogation.