The Akshardham temple attackers have been
identified. Anything on that?
All
that I would like to say is that valuable clues regarding who was responsible
for these attacks have been unearthed by the agencies and they are confident
that they will be able to resolve this case quickly and I am sure details will
be available once these investigations are complete. I have no further
information on this. Valuable clues have been found and we are optimistic that
we will be able to come to a definitive conclusion about who is responsible for
this dastardly crime very soon. But this is an ongoing investigation and it is
necessary for us to obviously protect our sources and not divulge more
information than what is necessary at this moment.
General Musharraf has said that India was
responsible for the attack on the churches in Karachi?
I have said and I say it again that every statement
that Pakistan makes on this issue is replete with falsehood from beginning to
end and nobody would attach any credibility to what Pakistan says on this issue.
Reports that Malaysian press that
the subject of visa on arrival was discussed during Mr. Sinha's
visit….
Well, consular issues were
discussed. I do not have the Joint Statement issued at the end of the meeting.
I would need to check that for you. But I understand that consular issues were
discussed. We did mention that we would like to see a less restrictive regime in
so far as visas for Indian Nationals are concerned. We also seek the cooperation
of the Malaysian Government in safeguarding the interest of Indian workers in
Malaysia. These two issues were discussed.
Meeting between Foreign Secretary and Ms.
Rocca?
Yes, it's going on.
Ms. Rocca has extended her visit for
two days?
She was to meet the
Foreign Secretary today. It was planned that she would meet the Foreign
Secretary. It was planned earlier.
(The following details regarding
Foreign Secretary's meeting with Assistant Secretary Rocca are given below,
since they were made available after the spokesperson's
briefing):
The Foreign Secretary, Shri Kanwal Sibal, and the U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State, Christina Rocca, held extensive discussions today
on a number of issues. Ms. Rocca is in India in connection with the dialogue
between India and the United States on the regional situation. The dialogue was
instituted pursuant to the decision of the leaderships of both countries to
broaden the intensity and range of the bilateral dialogue between India and the
U.S. The discussions this afternoon lasted about one hour and forty five
minutes and covered several issues, principally the situation in Afghanistan and
India-Pakistan relations. Foreign Secretary had visited Afghanistan yesterday
and met President Hamid Karzai, Vice President and Defence Minister Fahim, and
the Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullah. Foreign Secretary briefed Ms. Rocca on his
impressions of his visit to Afghanistan. Asst. Secy Rocca also outlined the
thrust of U.S. policies towards Afghanistan. The discussion was marked by
openness and both sides found the interaction useful.
On the larger question of India-Pakistan relations, keeping in mind the ongoing elections in Jammu and Kashmir, a detailed exchange of views took place. It was pointed out that continuing support to terrorism by Pakistan would remain an obstacle to any resumption of dialogue. In this context, the recent terrorist attack at Gandhinagar was a matter of serious concern.
Assistant Secretary Rocca was accompanied by Mr. Robert Blackwill, Ambassador of the United States to India. Present on the Indian side, in addition to Foreign Secretary Sibal, was Jayant Prasad, Joint Secretary (United States and Canada) in the Ministry of External Affairs.