Staying at Taj was a 'message' to terrorists: Hillary

Washington, Jul 21 (PTI) US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton has said that by staying at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai,
targeted during 26/11 attacks, she wanted to send the message
that the US and India will work together to "stamp out"
terrorism and are "not giving in" to terrorists.

"I wanted to start in Mumbai and I wanted to stay here
(at Taj), and I wanted to show our sympathy and solidarity for
the people who lost their lives and were injured in the
terrorist attack and for those who courageously prevented more
deaths and injury," she said.

She wanted to "make it very clear" that "we're going
to work together to stamp out the scourge of terrorism,"
Clinton said in an interview recorded in Mumbai for the "On
the Record" programme of Fox News channel.

"I think part of staying here, part of the message
that I want to send is that, just like we did after 9/11, we
are not giving in. We are not in any way intimidated by the
terrorists," the 61-year-old top American diplomat said.

She said she was "very anxious" to come to India.

"We waited until after their elections were over,
which we thought appropriate. And then as soon as I could, I
scheduled a trip to come and talk to the leaders about all the
issues that we are going to work on together," Clinton said.

The terrorists can "wreak havoc and death" but they
are no match for people's feelings of positive energy, their
commitment to life, willingness to keep going, Clinton felt.

"So I see it as a rebuke to those who plan and plot
and carry out these horrible attacks. And I feel very strongly
that we have to stand up against that."

To a question on climate change, she said the US wants
to "see India develop" and feels that there is "no
contradiction between the eradication of poverty and doing it
in a low-carbon economy."

"So our job is to make it clear that we need a global
agreement, because climate change threatens all of us, but it
particularly threatens people on the margins, the rural poor,
because their soil is literally drying up and blowing away. It
threatens people in coastal countries like India."

Asked why should people in America care about India,
Clinton said "because they are a great and growing nation with
more and more not just regional, but global power."

"Decisions that are made here in India are going to
affect bread and butter issues that are important to Americans
...And there is certainly a lot of connections between India
and the US. We have a very active Indian-American community
that has made great contribution to our country."

"We need partners who will help us combat terrorism,
help us combat the spread of deadly weapons, help us patrol
the waters of the world so pirates don't interfere with
commerce, help us discover new technology and new prescription
drugs and all the other great research possibilities that
India is focusing on that will improve lives of Americans."
PTI SDG
pmr
NNNN