British Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed Saturday to continue action against the Taliban "until we are successful" bringing to justice those behind the US terror attacks, while his Indian hosts stressed the global fight must not be isolated to Afghanistan.
Ending a whirlwind two-day tour that also took him to Russia and Pakistan, Blair said the Taliban regime, believed to be sheltering suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden, "has clearly failed."
"I assure you of a complete determination to be successful in this action against the terrorists and the Taliban regime, which we will continue until we are successful," Blair told reporters when asked about pending military action.
Echoing remarks he made Friday in Pakistan, Blair said he believed there was "the need for Afghanistan to have a stable government with a broad base of ethnic groups."
"It is important to realize the focus is on dealing with Afghanistan and closing down bin Laden's camps. I hope very much to ensure there is stability in the region, but it must be based on the rule of law," Blair said.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who has said New Delhi will cooperate fully with the US-led war on terrorism, meanwhile took a veiled swipe at the international community for its embrace of India's arch-rival Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.
"Even while extending our whole-hearted support to the pursuit of the guilty terrorists of September 11, we should not let countries pursue their own terrorist agenda under cover of this action," Vajpayee said.
"I am not in favor of taking this global action in isolation. We are fighting a global war and there has to be a global solution."
He linked the attacks on the United States with the hijacking by Islamic militants in 1999 of an Indian Airlines plane from Nepal to Afghanistan.
"The hijack of an aircraft from Kathmandu to Kandahar may have linkage with four other aircraft wreaking havoc in the US nearly two years later. This is precisely why terrorism has to be dealt with globally."
India accuses Pakistan of fuelling an Islamic separatist insurgency that has left more than 35,000 people dead since 1989. Islamabad says it only provides moral and diplomatic support to a home-grown movement for self-determination.
Blair said the international coalition must strongly deal with terrorism in all its forms.
The British premier condemned the October 1 suicide bombing by suspected Muslim militants of Indian Kashmir's state legislature which left 38 people dead, saying "such outrages have no place in any civilized society and those who perpetrate them should be brought to justice."
"I extend my sympathy to the victims of terrorism in Kashmir," he added.
He lauded New Delhi's prompt response in assuring help to the global coalition against terrorism, saying India was one of the first countries from which the international community sought support.
The British premier's trip to India was announced at the last minute after he paid visits to Russia and Pakistan on the tour called in the wake of the attacks on New York and Washington that left more than 5,000 dead or missing.
In Islamabad, Blair listed a litany of economic bail-out packages, praising Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's "courage and leadership" in opting to stand with the international coalition against terrorism despite stiff domestic opposition from powerful Islamic parties.
Blair, who was due to leave later Saturday for London, also told reporters he had accepted an invitation by Vajpayee to pay a longer visit to India in the future.
"The relations between India and Britain are strong. Those relations can be further strengthened in my later visits," he said -- NEW DELHI (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
