U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged U.S. support in the
global fight on terrorism Saturday, as she met with victims of last
year's terror attacks in India's commercial city, Mumbai.
Clinton
also said the United States is not pressuring India to improve
relations with Pakistan. She said it is up to the two sides to
determine how to go forward with peace talks.
The U.S. secretary
of state spoke to reporters Saturday in Mumbai, where Indian officials
believe terrorists linked to Pakistan killed 166 people during an
attack in November.
Also Saturday, Pakistani Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani said he is determined to bring the attackers to
justice. He said dialogue is the only way to forward with India.
Clinton
is on her first trip to India as secretary of state, and is expected to
push for deeper ties with the emerging economy during her three-day
visit.
While in Mumbai Saturday, Clinton met with employees of
two hotels hit by militants, including the manager of the Oberoi hotel,
whose wife and two children were killed.
Clinton and her staff
are staying at the Taj Palace hotel, one of the targets of the
attacks. She told reporters she wanted to send a message of solidarity
with the people of Mumbai, and she called her stay a "rebuke to the
terrorists who may have taken lives but did not destroy the spirit and
resilience" of the city or nation.
The top U.S. diplomat also met with business, education and women's groups.
On
Sunday, Clinton will travel to New Delhi for talks with Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh on issues including foreign policy, climate change and
energy.
The United States and India are expected to finalize two
agreements. One will allow U.S. companies to build nuclear power
plants at two sites in India. The other will ensure that U.S. arms
technology sold to India is not leaked to other countries.
From
India, the top U.S. diplomat travels to Thailand for talks with Prime
Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and an ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian
Nations) ministerial conference before returning to Washington next
Friday.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
