he United States and India agreed Wednesday to set up a joint working group to hunt the hijackers of an Indian airliner and to combat terrorism, the US State Department announced.

The agreement was reached during two-day high level talks in London, the State Department spokesman James Rubin told reporters.

Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott and Indian Minister of External Affairs Jaswant Singh also discussed a possible visit by President Bill Clinton to India. Clinton's planned visit in 1998 was canceled after India conducted nuclear tests.

"The two sides agreed to establish a Joint Working Group on counter-terrorism, which will hold its first meeting in Washington in early February," Rubin said at a regular briefing.

"They agreed to work together to ensure that the perpetrators of the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight 814 were brought to justice," he added.

Talbott and Singh also discussed "the possibility of institutionalizing their dialogue," the spokesman noted. (Xinhua)