Menon, Clinton discuss Mumbai attacks probe

In the first high-level interaction between India and the US since Barack Obama was appointed the US president, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon today met US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington and discussed the progress in the investigations into Mumbai terror attacks last year, and the situation in India’s neighbourhood, especially in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Menon is also expected to express India’s concerns over Obama’s policy announcements on outsourcing and hiring of nurses.

Menon’s US visit comes on the heels of a US-Pakistan-Afghanistan meet in late February to review the US policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

During his four-day visit, Menon is scheduled to meet the top brass of the Obama administration. He has already met US National Security Advisor General James Jones, US Under Secretary for Political Affairs William Burns, and Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg.

He is scheduled to meet US special envoy for Afghanistan-Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, and Congressional leaders.

A State Department spokesperson said Holbrooke did not attend the Menon-Clinton meeting on Monday.

A US National Security Council spokesperson said the US and India are of the view that “military strategies alone are not enough to bring stability to the region (Afghanistan) and that other issues such as econ-omic development and rule of law are also vital to success”.

On Pakistan’s investigations into the Mumbai attacks, the State Department spokesperson said

Pakistan “has been providing some helpful information,” but more could be done.

Earlier, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik had said India must reply soon to the 30 questions Islamabad had posed to India to further investigations.

Home Minister P Chidambaram has, however, made it clear that the answers to Pakistan’s questions are available in the charge-sheet prepared by the Mumbai police and that it is a public document available for Pakistan’s perusal. But Pakistan is expecting an official reply from the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Interpol, too, has called for greater cooperation between India and Pakistan to investigate the attacks.