US ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer on Thursday said his country was taking former Pakistan president Pervez Musharrafs admission that US military aid meant for the war on terror was diverted for strengthening defences against India very seriously.
This is an allegation made by a former official who is currently a private citizen. United States takes these types of allegations very seriously, said Roemer,while speaking to reporters during his first visit to Mumbai after being appointed to the post. He added that until they got more information on the veracity and accuracy of Musharrafs allegations,the US administration was looking into it seriously. Musharraf has since backtracked on his statement.
The US treats Lashkar-e-Toiba as a regional and global threat for US and India. The US is committed in this region to pursue,defeat,deter Lashkar-e-Toiba,Al Qaeda and other terrorist threats, said Roemer.
Referring to the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai,Roemer said it was extremely important that the six suspects currently held in Islamabad be brought to justice and put behind bars and receive sentences that are commensurate with the crime against India,against US and the world. I do hope that in the future that includes people like Hafiz Saeed.
We are working closer and closer together as two great powers to take on a common enemy and to bring blood thirsty perpetrators of these attacks to justice and make sure these issues are addressed, added Roemer.
A strong relationship doesnt mean that you are going to completely agree on every single issue, said Roemer,adding that there were occasionally some issues that the two could not see eye-to-eye on and stressed that India and the US could work on taking the non-proliferation issues forward.
So,I think non-proliferation is an issue that the United States and India can work together on, said the Ambassador.