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U.S., India together in fight against terrorism: Boucher

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington Sept. 5. The Bush administration has held out the hope that India would send troops to Iraq if a new, satisfactory mandate comes about at the United Nations Security Council. It stressed that the U.S. was committed to working with India in fighting terrorism irrespective of the stance New Delhi took on the Iraq troops issue.

The State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher, was asked how it was that India stood to benefit when there was discussion in private and in political circles in India that Washington was helping in arming Pakistan and giving assistance worth $ 3 billion.

"First of all, I think the Indian Government has made formal public statements that expresses the Indian view and you don't necessarily need to rely on what people might be saying in coffee shops", Mr. Boucher remarked.

"Countries will get involved in this because they care about the region, because they care about the Iraqi people, because they think it is good for them to have a more stable region, particularly in a neighbourhood that India is quite close to. And we would certainly hope that India would find it possible to make a contribution to stability in an area that is very important to India", he said.

Asked if the U.S. would help India fight terrorism and see the end of the menace in that country if New Delhi comes with the U.S. in Iraq, Mr. Boucher responded "I would tell you that the United States will help India against terrorism and work with India against terrorism whether India decides to send troops to Iraq or not."

After having held out the argument that there was enough in Resolution 1483 for other nations to make contributions for the so-called stabilisation of Iraq, the Bush administration is trying to come up with a more explicit mandate from the U.N. Security Council that will pave the way for countries like India, Pakistan, Turkey, Bangladesh and others in West Asia to send troops to Iraq.

But critical differences in the substance of the Resolution remain between Washington and its key allies in Europe and Russia.

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