No decision to provide India access to Headley: US

New Delhi, Mar 23 (PTI) In a surprise development, the
US on Tuesday said it has taken no decision to provide Indian
investigators direct access to Pakistani-American David
Headley, who has confessed to plotting the Mumbai terror
attacks.
Four days after US Assistant Secretary of State for
South Asia Robert Blake publicly stated here that the Indian
investigators will have access to Headley, American Ambassador
Timothy J Roemer said in a statement that "no decision on
direct access for India to David Headley has been made."
Following Blake's statement and a telephonic
discussion with US Attorney General and Head of the Department
of Justice Eric Holder, Home Minister P Chidambaram had
directed National Investigation Agency and other agencies
concerned in the case to quickly prepare documents necessary
to start a judicial proceeding in which Indian authorities
could require Headley to answer questions and to testify.
Sources in the Home Ministry had said on Monday that
India is likely to send a team of investigators in April to
question 49-year old Headley.
Roemer's remarks also come amid reports that Pakistan
was seeking access to Headley.
"As the Assistant Secretary indicated, the US is
committed to full information sharing in our counter terror
partnership and, in fact, in this case we have provided
substantial information to the Government of India and we will
continue to do so.
"However, no decision on direct access for India to
David Headley has been made. The US Department of Justice will
work with the Government of India regarding the modalities of
such cooperation," Roemer said. PTI