India, EU to intensify fight against terrorism

New Delhi, Nov 6 : India and the European Union (EU) today decided to conclude an agreement between EUROPOL and Indian security agencies to combat global terrorism while New Delhi said it had a 'vital stake in the stability of Pakistan and Afghanistan'.

The decision, taken at the 10th India-EU Summit here among Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his Swedish counterpart Fredrik Reinfeldt and European Commission (EC) President Jose Manuel Barrosso, was announced at a joint press conference after the Summit.

A Joint Statement issued after the Summit said the EU strongly condemned the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and reiterated the need for intensifying global cooperation in combating international terrorism.

The two sides emphasised the utmost importance of bringing the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice and acknowledged the contribution this would make to the success of the global fight against terrorism.

The Summit meeting reviewed the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan and emphasised the need for concerted international action to combat terrorism.

'We have agreed to work towards early finalisation of the agreement between EUROPOL and India. We also reviewed the situation in West Asia, Iran, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and discussed other regional issues,' Dr Singh said in his opening statement after the Summit.

Replying to a question, the Prime Minister said India had a 'vital stake' in peace, progress and stability in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He said whatever was happening in Pakistan and Afghanistan, affected India more than any other country.

He appreciated the efforts of the international community to bring stability in Afghanistan and hoped that it would 'stay the course' in resolving the problems in that country.

They said the 'Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism' (CCIT) should become a vital law enforcement instrument in joint counter-terrorism efforts.

'India and the EU attach great importance to counter-terrorism cooperation in the framework of the United Nations, and share a commitment to universal ratification and full implementation of all UN counter-terrorism conventions and related protocols as well as supporting the work of the Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF).' Both sides expressed commitment to the implementation of the UN global counter-Terrorism Strategy in all its aspects and said efforts to counter terrorism could only be successful with a sustained and comprehensive approach.

The EU extended full support to India’s bid for membership of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which will further reinforce India’s commitment to combat terrorist financing and money laundering.

The Leaders strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in Kabul, including those targeting the Indian Embassy, and highlighted the need to bring the perpetrators of these and other terrorist attacks to justice.

--UNI

(c) 2009 Published with permission from United News of India.
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