Introduction: Narayanan, Vajpayee make a common cause against terrorism
President K R Narayanan today joined Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for building a national consensus supporting the United States' proposed retaliatory strikes against the fundamentalist Taliban.
Although the President did not say this in as many words, his terming the carnage in the US as barbaric; his description of the Black Tuesday as crime against humanity; and his promise to make India a part of the alliance that would work for combating terrorism dearly saw the President stepping forward to support stem action against the jehadis and their habourers.
The President made these remarks at a function called for accepting credentials from new US Ambassador Robert D Blackwill. In his interactions with the new US envoy, Mr Narayanan said: “It is with a sense of grief and outrage that I convey my condolence and sympathy for the immense tragedy that has resulted from the barbaric terrorist attack on the US'. He said India appreciated Mr George Bush's desire to deepen India US ties and strongly reciprocate that sentiment.
President K R Narayanan's observations are significant as it comes a day before the all party meeting convened by the prime minister to discuss the contours of the indo-US venture for tackling terrorism. Barring the usual suspects in the Left, which has been brought up in the staple of anti-US slogans, there is a realisation in the rest of the political class that joining the US 'fight against terrorism would benefit India, which is facing a terror campaign for the past one decade.
President Narayanan told the US envoy that that there was a need to build on the new relationship with the US. “We must now build on this momentum to give concrete shape to our shared vision of a closer, more broad-based and more meaningful relationship between our countries”.
Condemning the terrorist strikes, President said: “This reprehensible act is a crime not just against the United States, but against all humanity.”
The US ambassador briefed him on the steps taken to meet the situation in the wake of the terrorist attacks. He also shared the view on the need to further consolidate bilateral ties.
Mr Narayanan, who unfolded his vision of the ties between the two countries said: “We are at a point of momentous change in the history of mankind. New technologies, new ideas and the ascendance of values cherished by both India and the US have opened up new possibilities to bring together our peoples and those with whom we share this world for the all-round peace, progress and prosperity.” But the pursuit of progress facts resistance from the unlearnt lessons of history and from many challenges, old and new, he said.
Mr Narayanan said he shared President
Bush's conviction that if we wanted a world shaped in the ideals that we
both shared.