By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : India and the US have called upon the world to join hands in combating terrorism in a long-term, sustained and comprehensive manner, saying there can be no justification for any act of terrorism.
The call was made in a joint statement issued here Wednesday after a meeting of the US-India Counter-terrorism Joint Working Group to discuss efforts to coordinate global counterterrorism initiatives.
The Indian delegation was led by Vivek Katju, Special Secretary for International Organizations at the Ministry of External Affairs, while Daniel Benjamin, the Secretary of State’s Coordinator for Counter-terrorism headed the US team.
Sessions focused on assessing the global terrorist threat, fighting terrorism through technological advancements, and counter-terrorism cooperation between India and the United States.
Other issues discussed included terrorist finance and money laundering, capacity building, and expanded information sharing, the statement said. “Both sides agreed to identify measures to strengthen institutional linkages leading to closer interaction and cooperation.”
“India and the United States strongly condemned terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations, recognizing it as a major threat to democracy, international peace, and security,” the joint statement said.
Reiterating that there can be no justification for any act of terrorism on any grounds, they said: “It is imperative for the international community to come together to combat terrorism in a long-term, sustained, and comprehensive manner.”
“India and the United States also called upon all states to abide by their commitments under the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2006.”
The next meeting of the Joint Working Group will take place in India on a mutually convenient date.