08 February 2000
(Agreed to strengthen cooperation to counter international terrorism) (530) The inaugural meeting of the U.S.-India Counterterrorism Working Group, announced in January 2000 following meetings between Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott and India's Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh in London, was held February 8 in Washington. Ambassador Michael A. Sheehan, U.S. Coordinator for counterterrorism, hosted the meeting at the Department of State. The Indian delegation was headed by Joint Secretary Alok Prasad of the Ministry of External Affairs. "The two sides expressed concern at the growing menace of international terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking," State Department Spokesman James P. Rubin said in a statement after the meeting. The two sides also "unequivocally condemned all acts, methods, and practices of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious, or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them," he said. Following is the text of Rubin's statement: (begin text) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman For Immediate Release February 8, 2000 Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman Joint U.S.-India Statement on Counterterrorism Working Group Last month, the United States and India agreed to establish a Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism. The agreement was announced following meetings between Deputy Secretary Strobe Talbott and Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh in London. The inaugural meeting of the U.S.-India Counterterrorism Working Group was held today in Washington. Ambassador Michael A. Sheehan, U.S. Coordinator for Counterterrorism, hosted the meeting at the Department of State. The Indian delegation was headed by Joint Secretary Alok Prasad of the Ministry of External Affairs. Both delegations included an interagency group of counterterrorism and law enforcement officials. The two sides expressed concern at the growing menace of international terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking. The two sides unequivocally condemned all acts, methods, and practices of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious, or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them. The two sides agreed to intensify their joint cooperation to ensure that the perpetrators of the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 are brought to justice, as part of their joint efforts to combat international terrorism. The Indian government agreed to the U.S. offer of Antiterrorism Assistance programs, the specifics to be determined in future visits. The group also decided to convene a meeting of each side's legal experts in April to discuss the Indian-proposed U.N. Terrorism Convention. Inter-agency teams from the two countries agreed on a range of measures to enhance cooperation between the two countries to combat international terrorism. The two sides would share experience, exchange information, and coordinate approaches and action. Both India and the United States have a shared interest in strengthening a regime to counter international terrorism. This working group is intended to enhance the effectiveness of our efforts to counter international terrorism worldwide. The next meeting of the U.S.-India Counterterrorism Working Group will be held in India on mutually agreed dates. (end text) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.)