Navtej Sarna
Counsellor (Press & Information)
(202) 939-7042

Press Statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on U.S. President's statement on the occasion of the 100th day after September 11th

December 21, 2001
New Delhi

We have seen the statement by President Bush on the occasion of the hundredth day after the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11. We appreciate that President Bush has condemned the terrorist attacks against India. His reflection, that though progress has been made in the global campaign against terrorism in these hundred days, terrorists continue to target freedom and democracy, as seen in the terrorist attacks in Srinagar on 1st October and in New Delhi on 13th December, points to the need for continuing our struggle against terrorism until it has been rooted out from every place in this world. It also highlights the obligation of all nations to join this battle without adopting a selective approach. India has its own experience regarding President Musharraf's willingness to fight all forms of terrorism, wherever they might exist.

We welcome the U.S. notification of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, along with other Pakistan-based organisations such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, which have been designated earlier. We note that the United States has recognised that Lashkar-e-Tayyiba is the armed wing of the Pakistan-based religious organisation Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-Irshad and has conducted a number of operations against Indian troops and civilian targets in Jammu & Kashmir.

We hope that all countries will unreservedly take punitive measures against these terrorist organisations.