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National

Obama's first words hit the ‘right notes': officials

Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI: U.S. President Barack Obama's first words in India had hit the “right notes,” said senior officials. Arriving in Mumbai, Mr. Obama made it a point to pay homage to victims of the Mumbai carnage as his first engagement, they observed.

However, unlike analysts who seemed to highlight Mr. Obama not mentioning Pakistan, officials were not perturbed. “His first words in India came across with the right notes of high seriousness about the tragedy of 26-11…about the ordinary lives impacted by the horror and savagery of terrorism,” said a senior official.

About Pakistan not being mentioned, the official said, “the fact that he did not do so does not mean that Pakistan had been declared non-culpable.''

Other senior officials referred to Mr. Obama's note in the visitor's book at the Taj Mahal Hotel and his observation during his six-minute address and felt that for a U.S. President these words of solidarity and commitment to work with India on counter-terrorism were enough.

In his address, Mr. Obama resolved that both countries would “work together, more closely than ever to deepening counter-terrorism cooperation, to keep our people safe.”

The official said: “Given the geo-politics of the region and the fact that Pakistan has been a 60-year old ally of the U.S, first against the Soviet Union and then to solve the Afghan conundrum, it is not surprising that he avoided mentioning any country.”

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