The Hindu : U.S. envoy meets Advani

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 17, 2002

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U.S. envoy meets Advani

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MAY 16. The U.S. Ambassador to India, Robert D. Blackwill today met the Home Minister, L.K. Advani, and reiterated Washington's unequivocal condemnation of terrorism. In a statement, Mr. Blackwill said his meeting with Mr. Advani was meant to echo the observations by the U.S. President, George Bush, and the State Department's Assistant Secretary, Christina Rocca, against terrorism in the backdrop of the Jammu incident. He pointed out that President Bush on Wednesday condemned the Jammu "terrorist attack''.

Ms. Rocca, on her part, had said: "Terrorism is terrorism. Terrorism against any country is part of the war on terrorism. Terrorism against India is as unacceptable as it is against America or any other country''.

Earlier, a statement by the U.S. embassy clarified that the U.S. had no plans to shift Mr. Blackwill from New Delhi. Quoting the State Department, the statement said, "Robert Blackwill is the U.S. Ambassador to India. Everything else is speculation, which is damaging to Ambassador Blackwill as well as our relationship with India. He has not been asked to resign. He has not resigned. He is not leaving his post.''

The statement also pointed to the observations made by Ms. Rocca at a luncheon meeting with the CII on Tuesday: "We in Washington know how fortunate we are to have you here as American Ambassador to India. You are doing a superb job and you personally have done so much to push this bilateral relationship further.''

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