Chicago: US President-elect Barack Obama today said he expected Islamabad to fully cooperate with New Delhi in the investigations into the Mumbai terror attacks and said India, like other sovereign nations, has the right to "protect" itself.
"My expectation is that President (Asif Ali) Zardari of Pakistan, who has already said that he will fully cooperate with the investigation, will follow through with that commitment," Obama said echoing the remarks made by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice earlier in the day.
Asked if India has the right to "take out" high-value targets inside Pakistan with or without the permission of Islamabad, as he espousing in regard to the US under his presidency, Obama said "I think that sovereign nations, obviously, have a right to protect themselves."
"Beyond that, I don't want to comment on the specific situation that's taking place in South Asia right now. I think it is important for us to let the investigators do their jobs and make a determination in terms of who was responsible for carrying out these heinous acts," the President-elect said.
Introducing his new cabinet members, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Obama said his administration will remain steadfast in support of India's efforts to catch the perpetrators of the deadly strikes and bring them to justice.
"And I expect that the world community will feel the same way," he added.
Condoling the deaths in the attack, Obama said "our thoughts, and our prayers go out to the people of India, the families that have been affected".
"I've spoken to Prime Minister Singh and expressed these concerns to him. An investigation is taking place. I was briefed by Secretary Rice throughout the weekend."
Noting that Rice was on way to India and a team of FBI experts have also been sent to help in the investigation, he said "this is one of those time where I have to reiterate there's one president at a time. We're going to be engaged in some very delicate diplomacy in the next several days and weeks. So I think it would be inappropriate for me to comment.
"But what I can say unequivocally is that both myself and the team that stands beside me are absolutely committed to eliminating the threat of terrorism. And that is true wherever it is found. We cannot tolerate a world in which innocents are being killed by extremists based on twisted ideologies."
The US will bring the full force of its power, not only military but also diplomatic, economic, and political, to deal with those threats not only to keep America safe but also to ensure peace and prosperity exist around the world, he said.
"So I will be monitoring the situation closely".
Towards the end of the press interaction, the President-elect once again talked of South Asia in the context of making sure that terrorists do not raise their heads in Iraq in the event of the American drawdown.
"...it's also critical that we recognise that the situation in Afghanistan has been worsening. The situation in South Asia, as a whole, and the safe havens for terrorist that have been established there represent the singlemost important threat against the American people," Obama said.
He said the US will mobilise resources and focus on defeating al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, and any other extremist groups that intend to target its citizens.BLUR_B
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