Date:02/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/02/stories/2008120250130100.htm

Front Page

Pakistan’s cooperation crucial: Rice

Sandeep Dikshit

U.S. Secretary of State coming tomorrow

Condoleezza Rice

NEW DELHI: United States President George Bush has asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to travel to India on Wednesday following a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vishnu Prakash.

The visit on Wednesday takes place against the backdrop of Ms. Rice asking Pakistan to follow the evidence from the terror strike “wherever it leads” and to do that in the most “committed and firmest possible way.”

Ms. Rice felt it was “extremely important” for the highest levels of cooperation between “all institutions” of Pakistan and India, which should include collaboration between law enforcement and intelligence agencies “in getting to the bottom of this.”

On Islamabad’s response to the U.S. demand, she said, “on all scores, the Pakistanis have emphasised their desire to get to the bottom of this and to help in any way that they can. I think this is a time for complete, absolute, total transparency and cooperation. And that’s what we expect.”

Admitting that the civilian government in Pakistan was still finding its feet, Ms. Rice said her conversation with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari showed that “they know that this is a time to step up to the task that they’ve got.”

According to a transcript of Ms. Rice’s conversation with newspersons before leaving for the NATO Ministerial, she complimented both countries for keeping the lines of communication open between them.