India, US agree to work closely to tackle terror

NEW DELHI - India and the US have agreed to work more closely on counter-terrorism measures by deepening their dialogue on homeland security, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday at a joint news conference with President Barack Obama

I convey my gratitude to the president for the cooperation we have received in our counter-terrorism measures post Mumbai. We will start a new homeland security dialogue to deepen this cooperation, Manmohan Singh said after talks with Obama.

The prime minister said the two sides had a “detailed exchange” on global and regional issues, particularly “the situation in our extended region including East Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and West Asia”.

“We have a shared vision of security, stability and prosperity in Asia based on an open and inclusive regional architecture. We have agreed to broaden our strategic dialogue to cover other regions and areas and initiate giant projects in Africa and Afghanistan.”

Manmohan Singh said the two sides also decided to strengthen cooperation to tackle nuclear terrorism.

He said India and the US “have today put forth a common vision of a world without nuclear weapons”.

“We have decided to lead global efforts for non-proliferation and universal and non-discriminatory global nuclear disarmament. This is a historic and bold bilateral initiative, he said.