Headley-access issue being taken up at highest levels: US

US ambassador says Headley issue under consideration at the highest level of US government

PTI | April 5, 2010



The issue of granting India access to Lashkar-e Taiba operative David Headley is being taken up by the US government at the highest level, the US ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer said here on Monday before his meeting with home minister P Chidambaram.

"I just had a very successful meeting with the Home Minister where I talked about working very closely for cooperation with government of India and government of US on counter-terrorism issues," Roemer told reporters after the meeting.

On US granting access to Headley, he said, "This is an issue that is being taken up at the highest levels of the US government day and night constantly."

India has been seeking access to Headley, a Pakistani-origin American, to unravel all details of his activities regarding the 26/11 attacks and plans for further strikes in this country.

The US has shared with India a lot of information based on his interrogation but has so far refused access to him, citing its legal difficulties.

Headley recently entered into a plea bargain with the US government under which he offered to present himself for access through video conferencing, deposition or Letters Rogatory (official request).

"As former commissioner of 9/11 probe, somebody who has experienced loss of life, we lost 3000 people, we empathised here in Mumbai with Indian people the tragic loss of life here and we want to make sure that justice is brought forward to all those involved in that kind of attack," Roemer said.

"It is in both government of India and government of US' interest to work together to protect common people from attacks wherever may they come from," the ambassador said.

Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao yesterday said the Home Ministry and related agencies are in touch with their US counterparts over the access issue and "we are satisfied with the progress these negotiations have made".

Comments

 

Other News

Master sculptor recalls the making of the Shankaracharya statue

The Golden Chisel: The Story Behind the Making of Ram Lalla  By Seethalakshmi S. and Rahul Nandan Rupa Publications, 168 pages, Rs 395  

Mumbai’s missing affordable homes

Mumbai’s real estate market keeps growing, yet homeownership remains out of reach for much of its population. Three experts – urban researcher Hussain Indorewala, urban planner Vidyadhar Phatak and developer Kamlesh Thakur of NAREDCO Maharashtra, agree that simply constructing more apartments

Rubio denies US foreknowledge of Starlink restrictions in Ukraine

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said he was unfamiliar with the Wall Street Journal report suggesting Elon Musk had decided to throttle Starlink services in Ukraine, but rejected claims that Washington had ordered the restrictions to pressure Kyiv.   “There was no

Can AI change India’s breast cancer story?

Breast cancer has become a public-health challenge in India. The greatest opportunity is to find cancers earlier. Artificial intelligence (AI) is opening a new era in breast cancer detection. AI systems can analyse mammograms and other breast-imaging studies, identify subtle abnormalities and assist radi

Farm stability in the time of climate change

Indian agriculture is experiencing significant climate volatility, while the world economy seems to be in a highly volatile situation. Economic indices from various countries show that they need to recalibrate their strategies to withstand economic headwinds. In such a challenging situation, a country li

El Niño threatens India’s Rabi crops

India’s southwest monsoon ended with a 13% rainfall deficit in 2026, its weakest performance in a decade, raising concerns over agricultural production, water security and the upcoming rabi season. With El Niño expected to persist into early 2027, experts warn that declining soil moisture, dep

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter