Sunday, January 4, 2009

26/11 to Echo in Indo-China Talks


Continuing to rally for an international consensus to push Pakistan into action against terror elements present on the inside of its territories, India may share crucial evidence of cross border involvement in the Mumbai terror attacks with China at a High level meeting on Monday.

The issue is expected to overshadow the talks Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon is scheduled to hold with his Chinsese Vice-foreign Minister He Yafei.

Yafei, who arrives in New Delhi Sunday evening, is also to hold parleys with National Security Adviser (NSA), MK Narayanan.

Yafei is also expected to meet External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who leads India’s diplomatic response to cross border terrorism.

Reports say NSA Menon will share details of the Mumbai attacks which point to involvement of Lashkar-e-Tayeba and other Pakistan-based elements.

India has compiled a dossier of evidence which includes confession of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested during the attack, satellite phone intercepts and the logs of a ship used to ferry ten heavily armed terrorists to Mumbai on November 26.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi had talked to Mukherjee over phone a week ago during which the Indian leader had told him of the evidence New Delhi held.

Yang, while agreeing that perpetrators of the attack should be brought to justice, had advised that India and Pakistan to maintain the fragile peace in the sub-continent.

Mukherjee had then urged Beijing to pressure Pakistan to initiate concrete action to end cross-border terrorism against India.

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