India, Russia for joint fight against terrorism

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, SEPT. 17. India and Russia have vowed to take joint steps to counter the threat of terrorism and religious extremism.This was stated in a telephone conversation on Sunday between the External and Defence Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, and Russia's Foreign Minister, Mr. Igor Ivanov, as well as in talks India's National Security Adviser, Mr. Brajesh Mishra, is holding in Moscow. ``Russia and India have reaffirmed readiness to closely coordinate, in the spirit of strategic partnership, joint efforts aimed at curbing the threat of terrorism and religious extremism,`` the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a communique on the conversation between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries.

For his part, Mr. Mishra was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying after the talks with his Russian counterpart, Mr. Vladimir Rushailo, that India and Russia favoured the world community taking concerted action to combat international terrorism. Mr. Mishra refuted a Washington Post report that India had thrown open its facilities for an expected U.S. attack on terrorist bases in Afghanistan. He said the U.S. had not made any such request to India, RIA Novosti reported.

The Russian Security Council Secretary, Mr. Rushailo, recognised the right of the U.S. to retaliation to the attack on New York and Washington, saying that terrorist attacks could not go unpunished. At the same time, he warned that any repressive strikes should be ''pinpointed``, should not harm civilians and should be in line with international law.

``We must not fight just some or other terrorist groups and bin Laden, but pool the efforts of the international community for the struggle against all terrorist groups, whenever they are active, be in Russia, India, the U.S. or any other country,'' Mr. Rushailo said after talks with Mr. Mishra.

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