 |
Blair Calls for Strengthening of Coalition against Terrorism
British Prime Minister Tony Blair appealed Saturday in New Delhi to international community for strengthen coalition against terrorism "in all its forms".
Emerging from a 35-minute meeting with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Blair told the media that international community must "strengthen coalition against terrorism in all its forms."
Blair, who arrived here late Friday night after a four-hour visit to Pakistan, express his support to India's stand that terrorism in "all its forms" should be fought by the international coalition.
The terrorist acts like the bomb blast on October first in Srinagar, capital of India-controlled Kashmir, should be brought to justice, he said.
The British primer minister spoke to Vajpayee last Wednesday through telephone, in which he strongly condemned the suicide car bomb attack, which killed some 40 people and injured more than 70.
"Such outrages have no place in any civilized societies and those who perpetrate them should be brought to justice," Blair said in the joint press conference with Vajpayee.
To a question, Vajpayee asserted that his country was not in favor of tackling the issue of terrorism in "isolation", saying " we are fighting a global war against terrorism and there has to be a global solution to it."
Vajpayee told Blair that "we believe that in this globalized world, distance and time do not provide insulation from the reach of terrorism."
Earlier, the two leaders discussed the evolving situation in Afghanistan amid hectic preparations by the U.S.-led coalition for operations against the Taliban regime and Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect of the September 11 strikes against the United States.
Blair, exchanged views on the whole range of issues that have emerged in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the U.S., reliable sources said.
India attaches considerable significance to Blair's visit since Britain has emerged as one of the frontline country in the global campaign against terrorism.
In This Section
|