(The Hindu-India) - Amit Baruah Israel will assist India in its battle against terrorism, visiting Israeli special envoy David Ivry said Thursday in New Delhi where he met with External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra. Mr. Ivry said that a recent speech by Mishra in Washington implied that India, the U.S., and Israel should cooperate in fighting terrorism. "The U.S. can be the leader and we (Israel and India) can contribute as much as we can,'' he said. He said that sharing of intelligence was very important. Ivry confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would visit India within the year. Asked about recent statements by Pakistan President Musharraf that Islamabad was looking at the possibility of building ties with Israel, Ivry said Israel wanted to be recognized by everyone. However, to ensure that India would not "misunderstand'' if eventually Pakistan and Israel were to establish diplomatic relations, he said that Israel would coordinate with India on the issue.
2003-07-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive